For the second time in weeks, bad weather has wreaked havoc in the Emilia-Romagna region, with severe flooding reported near the Imola circuit, the city of Bologna and other parts of Italy.

F1 staff were told to stay off the track on Wednesday amid fears of a worsening situation ahead of crisis talks between F1, the FIA ​​and Italian authorities over whether the weekend race at Imola could go ahead.

Speaking of sky italyDeputy Prime Minister and Infrastructure Minister Salvini called for the Imola race to be “postponed” “in light of the severe weather emergency that is hitting Emilia-Romagna”.

Salvini also stressed the need to “dedicate oneself to disaster relief work”.

Even if weather conditions improve as expected and on-track action can continue, organizing a grand prix in front of a large capacity crowd puts a huge strain on local infrastructure and emergency services at a time when the local population has more pressing needs.

Images emerged on Wednesday showing support paddocks and a television building being flooded and several important highways turned into rivers.

The death toll in the area now stands at five, according to Sky Italia.

Civil Protection Minister Nello Musumeci said: “24 cities were flooded and unfortunately all the rivers in Emilia Romagna were flooded.

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Photography: Gold and Goose/ motorsport pictures

“The average 36-hour rainfall is 200 millimeters, and in some areas it has even reached 500 millimeters. If you consider that the annual rainfall in this area is 1,000 millimeters, you will realize the impact of rainfall on humans.” The last 36 hours. “

The theoretical options for F1 and the FIA ​​are to cancel or postpone the entire event, or move forward with a compressed schedule given the loss of valuable preparation time. Organizers could also decide to reduce the number of spectators allowed into the venue or hold games behind closed doors.

AlphaTauri, based in the nearby town of Faenza, posted the following statement on social media.

“Scuderia AlphaTauri is very concerned about the events of the past few hours in Faenza and throughout the Emilia-Romagna region, where flooding and heavy rain have caused considerable damage.

“The team’s facility is currently unaffected and we are doing everything we can to ensure the safety of our employees and their families.

“Our sympathies go out to all those affected and we will continue to monitor the situation to see what can be done to help those in need while we await further developments.”