200,000 fans flock to Imola for Formula 1 at the weekend – Will the race still be on the premier class calendar after 2025? – Contract only runs for one more year
A total of 200,000 fans flocked to the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari on all Grand Prix days, according to official figures, which represents a significant increase compared to the last Imola Grand Prix in the 2022 Formula 1 season.
Back then, “only” just under 130,000 fans found their way to the race track, which corresponds to a whopping increase of around 54 percent this year. This could be an important argument for Imola with regard to a new contract.
Although Imola will be back on the Formula 1 calendar in 2025, the current contract will then expire. And it is no secret that there are numerous other interested parties who would like to host a Formula 1 race in the future.
One “problem” for Imola could be the fact that there is currently a second Formula 1 race in Italy, Monza. It therefore remains to be seen whether there will be room for both Grands Prix on the calendar in the future.
Formula 1 boss Stefano Domenicali said last year: “We have to find out whether we have the resources to keep two Grands Prix [in Italy] on the calendar or whether we will concentrate on one.”
“I want to thank Imola, because the organizers were willing to take a risk in a difficult moment like COVID and confirmed that they kept their commitment,” said Domenicali at the time.
In any case, the drivers would hate to lose the race in Emilia-Romagna. Carlos Sainz, for example, said last Thursday: “I’m glad that the calendar is keeping this type of venue.”
“It reminds us all where we come from and why we have all become fans of the sport,” said Sainz, explaining, “This is one of the three best circuits in the world, where you feel a Formula 1 car more than any other. And I love that.”
And there was also plenty of interest from the fans at the weekend. With 200,000 spectators, Imola recorded the same number of visitors as the race in China, where Formula 1 raced again this year for the first time since 2019.
However, Melbourne remains the clear number one in the spectator table for the 2024 Formula 1 season. There, the organizers reported a total of 452,055 fans at the race track over the entire weekend