2023 was a tough year for Imola. The beautiful city with its lush green and picturesque scenery found itself immersed in the waters of river Santerno. The flood caused endless misery to the locals and took the lives of humble civilians. This destruction had reached the classic F1 circuit as well. Right before the events were about to kick off, they called off the race, and this sudden disruption in the Emilia-Romagna region deeply moved the Ferrari star Charles Leclerc.

Now, his next steps have begun to take shape. The Imola GP is Ferrari’s home race, and being the flagbearer of the Prancing Horse, Charles Leclerc felt it was his responsibility to do something for the calamity-stricken citizens. Within the next few weeks, the ‘Prince of Monaco’ organized a fundraising event. The sum that Charles collected through this, went into the relief funds. After a year, various parts of the city and its structures are ready for renovation.

Charles Leclerc’s selfless act for Emilia-Romagna is starting to materialize

Leclerc has auctioned his Monaco GP 2023 race kit to raise money for the victims of the flood. The items auctioned – his helmet, race suit, gloves, and boots. Although the items were precious to the Monegasque, he happily gave them away, and the donations totaled $436,000. And without further ado, Ferrari‘s ‘Golden Boy’ handed the sum to the mayor of the province. Now, a massive redevelopment plan has been launched in Imola, which also includes renovation around the F1 racetrack. Thanks to Charles Leclerc’s kindness, the province will return to its grace once again.

The mammoth project will commence on August 8, with constructions starting from the play area of ​​the Parco delle Acque Minerali, located via Romeo Galli. The mayor, Marco Panieri, praised and thanked the Maranello-based team and their boy, Charles Leclerc for this service. He stated: We are planning and implementing some of the projects with the resources of the pilot Charles Leclerc, who I would like to thank again on behalf of the entire City of Imola. We also had the opportunity to meet during the Grand Prix because he wanted to be updated on the work planned and what will be achieved. Our work, together with the numerous other construction sites, continues trying to speed up the deadlines as much as possible and for this, I also thank the Area Blu structure.” 

Charles owes his F1 existence to Ferrari and Tifosi. And through his donation, Leclerc has proven not just how big his heart is, but also his gratitude for the Italian crowd. Moreover, his gentle steps would only make the city of Imola a better place. In addition to the rebuilding of the city, the famous F1 circuit of Emilia-Romagna could also see some good renovations. Now, let’s go down the memory to know what happened in Imola one year ago.

Sudden floods in the region caused officials to call off the Emilia-Romagna GP 2023

When the reporters of Sky Sports landed at the Bologna Airport, the high levels of water were the first signs of devastation. The grey clouds and spattering rain accompanied them throughout their journey. However, right before the events of the race weekend were about to begin, news came that F1 had called off the race in Imola. The FIA declared: “The decision has been taken because it is not possible to safely hold the event for our fans, the teams, and our personnel and it is the right and responsible thing to do.”

The circuit was flooded, and roads and towns were submerged up to knee-deep in water. River Santerno had forgotten all her boundaries. Meanwhile, around 8 locals (possibly more) died, and officials evacuated over 5,000 people from the region. A study by the Cross Dependency Initiative determined that Emilia Romagna is among the top ten European regions most at risk from climate change. In 20222 the region experienced severe droughts and 2023 turned it into a sea.

We often tend to overlook the threat climate change poses to us. Every day numerous towns, cities, and countries fall prey to the atrocious changes in climatic conditions. However, selfless hearts like Charles Leclerc always come to the rescue. But for how long? Kudos to Ferrari and Leclerc for taking the initiative to help Imola. At the same time, it highlights an urgent responsibility to take one step towards a better world and to curb climate change; because the time’s ticking!