Photo: Formula Motorsport Ltd
Formula 2 and the FIA Formula 3 championship have confirmed that they will not replace the cancelled Imola round that was due to take place last month.
Flooding in the Emilia-Romagna region that Imola sits in meant the race weekend was cancelled once teams had already arrived in the paddock, and there had been considerations of seeking a way to keep the two series’ calendar lengths unchanged.
However during last weekend’s action at Barcelona, Formula Scout learned that there would in fact be no replacement event for either series.
F3 teams will get another opportunity to race post-season as the FIA F3 World Cup takes place in Macau, although the shortening of the calendar means that F2 teams will still have to look at how to fulfill sponsorship as well as other contractual commitments.
“Following the calling off of the Imola round in May, FIA F2 and FIA F3 promoters confirm that no replacement will be added to the 2023 calendars,” said series promoter Formula Motorsport in its announcement on Tuesday.
“The F2 season will now be made up of 13 events, and the F3 season will consist of nine events.”
Bruno Michel, the F2 and F3 CEO, added: “First, I am very sorry that we could not race to Imola this year, but obviously this was the right decision, and our thoughts are with those who have been affected.
“Since then, we have looked at several options, but ultimately, we have decided that we will not add a new venue to this year’s calendars. With a total of 13 F2 rounds and nine F3 events, I believe we still have enough races to deliver two amazing and competitive seasons.”