Key figur🥃es involved in the promotion of the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix are holding talks withꦕ Formula 1 to keep Imola on the calendar next year.

Imola’s contract with F1 expires at the end of this month’s race, but there is a stron🦋g desire from the regional government to si꧅gn a new contract extension for 2026 and beyond.

Last month, F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali plunged the future ♓of Emilia R𒁏omagna GP into doubt by saying it is “increasingღly difficult to🀅 have two races in the same country.”

Monza already has a deal with F1 to host the Italian Grand Prix until 2031, which means if the series decides to drop one circuit fr♉om Italy, it would have to be Imola.

However, having brought the Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari back on the F1 calenda𒆙r due to COVID-related reasons in 2020, the promoters are now working hard to make the race a permanent affair on the calendar.

Michele de Pascale, the president of the Emilia-Romagna region, said there is a “strong interest” in keeping F1 ౠat Imola next year, adding he doesn’t see a problem in Italy hosting two races on the calendar.

"For the institutions, it is not a qu🅺estion of budget,” he was quoted by the Gazette. "There is a strong interest in continuing. Negotiations have been underway for some time. Monza does not prevent Imola frꦯom being there".

The head of the 🐻sports department of the Council of Ministers, Flavio Siniscalsi, added: "The efforts of local and national authorities are crucial. We must encourage and strengthen inter-institutional collaboration."

Even the Republic of San Marino is involved in Imola’s bid to secure a new ꧋contr♛act with F1.

Although Imola is located in Italy, the 🏅race ran under the San Marino GP banner f🌱rom 1981 to 2006.

2025 race

Im♓ola staged a presentation on Friday🐻 ahead of the fifth edition of the Emilia Romagna GP on 18 May.

The🍌 cer𝓰emony was attended by the mayor of Imola Marco Panieri, who expressed confidence that this year’s event will be a success.

While Ferrari will always be the biggest crowd-pull in Italy, Andrea Kimi Antonelli’s impressive debut at Mercedes is al꧂so bringing in more fans through the𝓡 gates.

"We think the sales will exceed lasꦆt year's numbers,” he said. “We have increased the capacity to 92,500 spectators for each day of the race, ticket sales are going very well.

“To reach the ci🐟ty at the Imola station, which we have just renovated, some Freccia Rossa trains will stop and 17 special regional trains have been arranged. Last year, out of 95 thousand spectators present on the Sunday of the race, 27 thousand came b💯y train".

Imola has also updated some of the infrastructure facilities at the track, including the addition of three new pit b💃oxes and a new hospitality area.

The organisers are hopeful that a successf𒁏ul 2025 event will cওonvince F1 to keep Imola on the calendar next year.