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Reigning world champion Max Verstappen lauds the decision made by FIA to postpone the Emilia Romagna GP scheduled this weekend. The sixth round of the 2023 season in Imola, Italy, has been canceled due to severe weather in the region in recent days.
Winner of the 2022 Emilia Romagna GP, Max Verstappen hailed F1's decision not to race in the province, which has been struck down by bad weather in recent days. He called the decision 'logical' as the safety of the local people was of utmost importance.
Verstappen said to De Telegraaf:
"Safety and help for the people who really need it is the most important thing. That is where care should go first. So it seems only logical to me that we will not race at times like this."
The Emilia Romagna region in Italy has received heavy rain for the past weeks, which has already claimed two lives in the region. A red alert warning was issued in the affected areas.
On Tuesday (May 16), F1 had asked the paddock personnel to evacuate the track due to concerns of flooding by the nearby Santerno River. The following day, the situation remained the same.
F1 made the decision on Wednesday afternoon to cancel the event, as it was not possible to safely hold the event for fans, the teams, and personnel. It was a responsible decision given the situation in the surrounding cities and towns.
After the cancelation, F1 heads to the principality of Monaco next week.
Max Verstappen is sad to see Franz Tost leaving F1
Former Toro Rosso (AlphaTauri) driver, Max Verstappen is sad to see Franz Tost leave F1, after serving as Team Principal of the Italian team since its inception in 2006.
Max Verstappen made his debut under Tost's leadership in 2015. He credits the 67-year-old for nurturing young drivers and advice.
Motorsport-Total quoted Max Verstappen saying:
"I worked with Franz for over a year. At the beginning of a career, it is important to have someone like Franz by your side. He helped me a lot at the start and supported me with his advice and experience. He is good at dealing with young drivers."
"The conversations with him have been very helpful to me. He has discovered many talents and contributed to the development of the main team, which is why he had a great career. It is sad to see him go, but at some point, after so many years in Formula 1, you simply need more time for family."
Franz Tost will be replaced by Laurent Mekies, who currently works for Ferrari.
