Ferrari donates €1 million to the Emilia-Romagna flood relief fund, F1 matches it

Just a couple of days after the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix was sensibly called off in light of severe flooding in the region, Ferrari and Formula 1 itself have both announced they'll donate €1 million to the relief effort.

The money will go to the Agency for Territorial Safety and Civil Protection, and will be spent on boosting the area’s environmental recovery and help manage the ‘hydrogeological instability’ that’s contributed to the disaster so far.

“In times of difficulty, Ferrari has always stood by its community,” said Ferrari CEO Benedetto Vigna. “We wanted to provide a concrete and immediate response to the most urgent needs of the population of Emilia-Romagna, which has been tried by a serious environmental disaster.

“With the coordination of the local authorities, to whom our heartfelt thanks go for their tireless work, this aid will bring comfort and a tangible sign of the solidarity of the entire Ferrari family.”

F1 president and CEO Stefano Domenicali said: “I was born and grew up in the marvellous lands of Emilia-Romagna, a place that is living through some of the saddest moments in its history. The situation facing the communities in the region is terrible, but I know that the resilience and passion of the people in the region, like so many across Italy, will prevail through this crisis.

"We must do everything we can to support them at this difficult time and that is why we are donating to help support the relief efforts on the ground. My thoughts, on behalf of the entire Formula 1 community, are with everyone affected and we want to thank the emergency services for their incredible work.”

It's also been reported that food that would've been used in F1's various hospitality units this weekend will be given to local food banks.

Nine people were reported to have died in the Italian region on Wednesday, with thousands displaced and many cut off from emergency services after countless landslides blocked roads.

Separately (and far less importantly) F1 personnel have been allowed back into the Imola paddock, 48 hours after they were evacuated from the circuit for safety reasons. This means they’ve been able to retrieve equipment that had already been set up in preparation for the first scheduled practice session on Friday, so there shouldn’t be any knock-on effect for the Monaco Grand Prix next week.

Meanwhile, Yuki Tsunoda and members of his team have been pictured helping with the clear-up operation in AlphaTauri’s home town of Faenza.

Yuki Tsunoda and his AlphaTauri team mates have been helping with the clean-up in Faenza ❤️ pic.twitter.com/uf2qN5syTf

— Formula 1 (@F1) May 18, 2023