The Emilia Romagna Grand Prix was called off amid heavy rainfall and deadly flooding in the Italian region, which left 14 people dead and more than 13,000 displaced.
Emergency services have been working hard this past week, airlifting individuals to safety and seeking to ensure that residents are able to return to their homes.
“It is not possible to safely hold the event for our fans, the teams and our personnel, and it is the right thing to do given the situation faced by the towns and cities in the region,” Formula 1 officials said earlier this year.
The Formula 1 community welcomed the cancellation as the right thing to do given the circumstances, believing it would be wrong to divert emergency services away from the flooding to host the race.
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However, protest group Extinction Rebellion has blasted the media coverage of the situation, claiming it has focused too much on the cancellation, ignoring the real issues.
“While many are heartbroken about the high carbon, high profit, @F1 race cancellation,” the group said on social media.
“Shouldn’t big media care more about on the deaths of at least 9 people, and thousands homeless or evacuated across multiple countries?”
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With the group being known for its direct action, describing itself as a “non-violent civil disobedience” movement, Extinction Rebellion has crossed paths with Formula 1 before.
During the 2020 British Grand Prix, activists entered the circuit when the race was due to be taking place behind closed doors due to the Covid pandemic.
Formula 1 is now set to return next weekend at the Monaco Grand Prix, with drivers taking to the iconic street circuit, known for its tight twists and turns.