But with the staff ushering in an unexpected free weekend instead of embarking on a punishing three-peat, it would be a mistake to think teams can put their competitive ideas on hold for a few more days.

A sudden change in the schedule due to Imola’s failure to play has consequences and complications for everyone, which could spark some discussion in the team factory this week. The following are some major influencing factors.

1. The dilemma of sudden escalation

The start of the European season at Imola will be the perfect time for teams to roll out major upgrades that have been in development for months.

Expectations are high for Mercedes’ plans, with the Brackley team preparing to introduce new sidepods, floor and front suspension on the W14 to help boost the fortunes of Lewis Hamilton and George Russell.

But elsewhere on the grid, Ferrari initially planned a new rear suspension, AlphaTauri brought a new floor and Alfa Romeo is pushing for some major tweaks to its cars to regain points.

Imola looked like it would wash over the weekend even before the extent of the flood became clear, and Ferrari had shelved plans to run with rear suspension – as it felt it would be better off now to wait until next month’s Spanish GP.

For the rest of the squad, however, the loss of Imola will spark some discussion about exactly when they will introduce the upgrade.

The next race in Monaco is unique, and the narrow, twisty street circuit is not the ideal place to give feedback on the aerodynamic and handling improvements that car modifications have brought about. It also creates a greater risk of accidents, which could destroy the new parts and put the team at a disadvantage for weeks to come.

Engineers will need to spend the next few days considering whether to commit to an upgrade to the upcoming Monaco – if components are faster then there’s no point waiting – or wait another weekend until Spain.

The next outing of the planned tire allocation experiment is scheduled for Hungary

Photography: Red Bull Content Pool

2. F1 new tire configuration and how to go next in qualifying

The Imola weekend was supposed to mark the first trial of new tire allocation rules aimed at improving F1’s sustainability. The reduction in the number of sets available to drivers (from 13 to 11), combined with a change in the compound allocated, looks set to change dramatically.

As well as drivers being forced to use specific compounds in qualifying – hard compound in Q1, medium compound in Q2 and soft compound in Q3 – the rules are designed to ensure teams also have more race options, which should help to open up strategic possibilities.

The cancellation of the Emilia Romagna race means the first test of the new tire rules will now take place at the Hungarian Grand Prix shortly before the summer break. The Hungaroring has been listed as the second venue to test it.

However, the defeat at Imola does not mean that F1 will definitely only have one chance to try out the new rule idea, and it is likely that Pirelli, the teams and the FIA ​​will discuss whether another chance should be scheduled at a later date.

The 2023 sporting regulations specify that so-called Alternative Tire Allocations (ATA) can take place in “up to” two events. With Imola not happening at all, the door is open to venues outside Hungary if there is interest.

3. How will the engine/transmission configuration be affected?

Cancellation of Imola race won’t affect team allocations for this year

Photography: Mark Sutton/ motorsport pictures

There was a time when F1’s regulations provided for extra power unit availability if the F1 calendar exceeded a certain number of races.

But the practice was eventually dropped out of fear that manufacturers and customers could face unintended financial consequences if an extra race suddenly forced everyone to need an extra powerplant.

Engine allocations for powerplants are now set for the full season – so the cancellation of the Imola race will have no impact on the various component teams allowed (and have increased recently due to the extra pressure induced by sprint race qualifying ).

However, gearboxes are race limited, as their use can be opened up if F1 takes part in a certain number of races.

However, for 2023, the trigger to allow teams to run five transmission cases, cassettes and other components is set at 24 races, so the impact of what happened at Imola in terms of casting doubt on how many components could be used to zero. Teams will have four available for the current season.

4. Cost Cap Impact of Losing Matches

Delayed decision to cancel Imola not expected to lead to team breaking cost cap

Photography: Andy Horn / motorsport pictures

Operating within Formula 1’s cost ceiling can be quite a challenge for many teams – and they often face some headaches to ensure they don’t accidentally breach the limit. As Mercedes boss Toto Wolff once said: “If you’re overshooting, every £10,000 counts.”

So, since the level of the cost cap is based on the number of races in the season, it could cause some problems for the teams if they lose the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix within the limit. With teams earning $135m for 21 races and an extra $1.2m for each additional race after that, a 23-race calendar with Imola is worth $137.4m, while a 22-race calendar without it means $136.2m limit.

However, F1 regulations already allow for the possibility of delaying calendar changes, which could cause problems in teams’ budgetary preparations.

Financial regulations state that if a match is called off less than three months before the proposed start of the match, the match will be counted in the final tally. That means the team would still hit the base cap of $137.4 million, as if Imola had happened.

5. Impact on F1 commercial copyright income

However, cancellation of a match due to force majeure will result in a loss of payment

Photography: Andrew Ferraro / motorsport pictures

While the introduction of a cost cap in F1 has helped keep team budgets in check, meaning they are less often fighting for survival, it doesn’t mean they don’t care about profits. So, with a significant portion of F1’s revenue coming from race sponsorship fees, any race cancellations could have an impact on their year-end revenue.

The way Imola was canceled, with force majeure triggering the cancellation, means the Emilia-Romagna race promoters will not be forced to pay for this year. It is understood that this is about 20 million US dollars.

Since teams share in F1’s overall profits for the year, losing races will result in them earning less total revenue than they might have expected. In the grand scheme of things, however, this will be a relatively small amount – and will be offset by some cost reductions in Imola’s weekend unused car running costs and mileage.