Personnel at the Imola circuit have been instructed to vacate the Formula 1 paddock due to heavy rain and flood risks in the area.
A red weather alert was issued for Tuesday and Wednesday in the Emilia Romagna region, with warnings over the potential of flooding and landslides.
The precautionary evacuation comes as the paddock gears up for the first day of on-track action of the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix weekend on Friday.
The region was hit with severe weather just a handful of weeks ago, with two fatalities reported.
Despite the evacuation, there are no concerns as of yet over staging of the race weekend, with the opening practice sessions three days away and after the red alert warning has ended.
In addition, no disruptions are expected in relation to travel, with teams and personnel having either travelled already to Imola or intend to arrive as originally planned.
Tuesday afternoon saw various images and videos of excessive water in the area of the circuit, with the Santerno river located a short distance behind the paddock.
⚠️ Il vient d'être demandé à toutes les équipes présentes sur le Circuit d'Imola d'évacuer les lieux dans les 30 mn. ⚠️
Les pluies torrentielles et un début d'inondation de certaines zones en sont évidemment la raison principale. pic.twitter.com/7ItwrFSA33— Julien FEBREAU (@Julien_FEBREAU) May 16, 2023
More rainfall is expected in the next 24 hours, however it is expected to calm once the race weekend gets underway on Friday.
Imola, which returned to the F1 calendar amid the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, has had its share of wet sessions in that period.
Should the event be held in wet conditions, it would be a prime opportunity for teams and Pirelli to test the new wet-weather tyres.
Following a rigorous test programme, the new wet tyres will be available from this weekend and will not require the use of tyre blankets before they are fitted to the car.
