With the officialization of the 2025 calendar of the FIA World Endurance Championship we also had a fantastic confirmation: Imola will remain the Italian race of the series until 2028.
This is in defiance of the many who, even before the event on the Santerno circuit, continued to say that the Italian stage would certainly return to Monza, without however knowing the great work that was carried out behind the scenes by the Emilia-Romagna city together with Le Mans Endurance Management, which takes care of the organization of the championship.
During the 6h race held last April, Motorsport.com had the pleasure of meeting the Mayor of Imola, Marco Panieri, with whom we took stock after a great weekend of sport on the track and side activities, such as wine and wine attractions -gastronomic and meetings with the pilots in the city centre.
Already in the same days, plus the following days, the leaders of the FIA WEC had said they were very happy with how things had been organized inside and outside the Enzo and Dino Ferrari, with the First Citizen having hinted that he would work with great pleasure also at a second edition of the 6h.
At the Press Conference of the Automobile Club de l’Ouest held in Le Mans, Panieri and Pietro Benvenuti, representative of the Autodromo, could not be missing to sign the agreement with Pierre Fillon, Frédéric Lequien and all the top management of LMEM. And naturally, Motorsport.com – together with other media present at the 24h – did not miss the opportunity to chat again with the Mayor of Imola to understand now what we can expect from the city and track.
Pierre Fillon, Frédéric Lequien, Pietro Benvenuti and Marco Panieri, Mayor of Imola
Photo by: Marco Panieri
When you signed the 2023 contract with the WEC, was there already an option to go further?
“The starting idea was to consolidate a race that is already very important on the international scene and which wants to be valorised in Italy, also taking advantage of the heart of the Motor Valley, and of what the Emilia-Romagna region can represent. We had to sort out some details , like the number of pits, and we have committed to making three new ones.”
What stage are you at?
“We have already started the planning part, it will be completed within a couple of weeks, while we are starting the authorization process because, after the preliminary checks already carried out, the idea is to start the construction site on November 1st, arriving ready in March”.
Where will they be set up?
“On the side where the race direction building is now located, exactly where the car park is; we will transform it and have the three new garages.”
Will you also do something else?
“We are committed to promoting and enhancing the Motor Valley supply chain, and what it represents for the country, continuing in the wake of what we had invented for the F1 GP, i.e. Made in Italy with related promotion of businesses. From On the other hand, together with the Autodrome, we plan a long period of work together. Having closed the agreement to have the FIA WEC and the ELMS is very important for us, we want to work closely with Frédéric Lequien, head of LMEM, and during the presentation it was highlighted that we and Spa recorded record audiences. If we work towards complete consolidation, we can grow further”.
Marco Panieri, Mayor of Imola, with Antonio Fuoco, Miguel Molina and Nicklas Nielsen, Ferrari
Photo by: Marco Panieri
Is there a reason for the idea of running in April?
“We find it to be a good month as a time of year, we also care a lot about the surrounding area and we want to continue with the activities in the city and in the historic centre. It is a commitment that we have already made and which we will see to implement in the future with innovations presented in the city, at the racetrack and for the entire world of motorsport”.
Are there already ideas?
“For example, the Events House dedicated to Tosa, for which we have already received significant funding, and the modernizations for the track such as grandstands and spaces, in order to improve the context we have.”
The WEC organizers immediately appreciated what you did in 2024…
“The relationship with Frédéric, Richard Mille and Pierre Fillon goes beyond work, a friendship also based on local traditions. We really liked the idea of carrying out pilot presentations and briefings in the historic centre, which is why we also want to improve the activations in circuit, an element that we wish to enhance over the years”.
Pietro Benvenuti and Marco Panieri, Mayor of Imola
Photo by: Marco Panieri
What does organizing such important events mean for Imola?
“We have chosen to work with few words and many actions, which is very different to go through individual facts. Imola’s fortune is having a street circuit as a great opportunity to exploit, we are working on the chain of consequences; for the WEC, and in particular Le Mans is around 320 million, a figure similar to what we had for F1. We are interested in continuing the journey by adding a piece of events and multi-functionality every day, such as the passage of the Tour De France on 30 June, closing with the Ferrari World Finals”.
There was a lot in between…
“Exactly, we started with the FIA WEC, then F1, the memory of the 30 years since the death of Senna and Ratzenberger, and so on. Every day there is something new, despite the strong blow to the heart received with the floods. they did very badly, but we wanted to get back into the game immediately by starting again. A challenge within the challenge, we invented a system with the topic of Made In Italy, businesses and relationships”.
Is there support from the Government?
“I really believe in sports diplomacy, Minister Tajani is working on this new project which could be a good element to try to further increase our network. For the Senna and Ratzenberger event, two Ministers came and remained in the city , which is a good sign.”
Pietro Benvenuti and Marco Panieri, Mayor of Imola
Photo by: Marco Panieri
How is your relationship with F1?
“We are talking with Stefano Domenicali, on our part there is a promise to move forward with investments such as the Events House, areas for the paddock and arrangement of the stands. We live by our own light, with resources that we seek and find on our own, unlike others who can dispose of it independently at the moment we are keeping to our commitments and trying to maintain the races we have.”
Are you also working on other things besides sport?
“There will be news regarding the world of music and the multi-functionality of the Autodrome, we always try to be active at 360°. This is what made us understand F1 well and the WEC is a replica of the circus; today the fans are looking to experience an all-round event and experience. It is our intention to maintain and implement it, if we ask for a greater commitment it is because we are convinced that it is worth it.”
We saw the problem of the proximity of the Santerno in the flood: what work did you do in the paddock?
“We already have two renovated and functioning safety pumps, plus an extraordinary one that can be used in case of emergencies or problems with the first two. We are finishing designing the perimeter wall, an investment of almost 7 million, which will be built one piece at a time, furthermore, the Viale Dante bridge has been strengthened and will no longer have problems, but also the expansion of the Tosa bridge, making it a double lane with pedestrian and bicycle crossings”.
Departure
Photo by: Luca Barsali
Have you studied anything about traffic?
“Of the 210,000 people who came for F1, 95,000 were present on Sunday, of which 27,000 used the train as a means of transport. Our forecast was 10,000. Through an agreement with Team3 we asked for two maps of F1’s travels and WEC, we are awaiting the results on the flows of people arriving and departing from the Autodromo. Apart from rush hours, entering and exiting the track did not create major problems.”
An important impact for the whole city…
“We are talking about very high benefits for every structure, from hotels to bars and restaurants. With F1 we have reached the peak ever reached in the historic center and in some points the city has already changed furnishings and some new places are about to open. Every year whoever comes to Imola will have new opportunities from all points of view.”
Is the confirmation of the WEC a sort of ‘lifesaver’ in case there is no longer F1 after 2025?
“The contract is also for next year, with the commitment to make up for the GP not held in 2023 in 2026. We are working on that, the objective would be to hold two GPs in Italy, but we must all really want it and put in the effort resources to do it. I think the territory has demonstrated that the response has been there and is really strong. The Emilia Romagna and Made in Italy GP is a true team result, I have only seen and heard positive comments, a perhaps it starts from the point of view of the trains as I said before. In my opinion a good job has been done, F1 is an opportunity for everyone, we will continue with our investments, with excellent collaboration together with Domenicali and his team. But we are there as good with them as with the WEC.”
Departure
Photo by: Paul Foster
For the management of side events, will you also take inspiration from other realities?
“I have already been to see F1 in Hungary and Austria, and I will return. Given the strong economic impact, with investments of 250 million by the city until 2026, today we are looking for some private investors who may be available to commit also with regards to hotel facilities. Some have already taken action by improving rooms and buildings, but further improvements can be made”.
Formula E will no longer come to Italy, was it proposed to you?
“Yes, before Misano, but we are not in a position to welcome it because the track has significant ups and downs and the altitudes do not allow it. We had also thought about a possible move to the city, but logistically it would have been very complex”.
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