The FIA published the provisional 2007 Formula One calendar this morning morning, and with it came the news that the San Marino Grand Prix - held for the last 26 years at the famous Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari di Imola - will loose its place on the calendar.

The famous second Italian-based grand prix, which takes its title from the tiny mountaintop principality of San Marino, joins the European Grand Prix - held in recent years at the Nürburgring - in being dropped, while the Belgium round at Spa returns, making for a 17-race 2007 schedule. Both Italy and Germany already hold a Grand Prix each, and the loss of their "second" fixtures is primarily down to a massive global expansion in appeal of the F1 series in recent years that has seen a diverse spread of countries such as China, Malaysia, Bahrain and Turkey joining the calendar for the first time. With many other countries - including Russia, South Africa and India - all seeking to stage a Grand Prix of their own, it will be very difficult for Imola to regain its place on the calendar if it is lost.

The German F1 round is now expected to alternate between Hockenheim and the Nürburgring, although the four-week gap in the 2007 calendar between Bahrain and Spain will doubtless lead to speculation that the San Marino Grand Prix could yet be reinstated. In truth in recent years Imola has faced the axe several times, but survived at the last minute, and 2007 could still see the 2.4-litre V8 Grand Prix engines screaming around this famous track.

Few circuits inspire the same adoration for motorsport as Imola. The circuit lies in the heart of Ferrari country and is a stone's throw from both Modena and Maranello. It is the home of the tifosi and a place of pilgrimage for any fan of Italian motorsport. The track has seen some memorable races over the years and although it is in Italy, the circuit plays host to the San Marino Grand Prix. For the citizens of Imola the desire for speed has been part of their make-up since ancient times. When Imola was called Cornelli Forum, at the time of the ancient Roman civilisation in the year 80 before Christ, it was an amphitheatre where two wheeled charriots used to race, in preparation for the steel horses.

The foundations of the current racetrack can be traced back to the 1940s. To financially help (and provide work) for a depressed economy of the post war era, a series of public works were launched, including the construction of a road which connected the "via Emilia", where today there is the Rivazza bend, to the village of Codrigano, reaching the "Tosa bend". Then four motor racing enthusiasts from Imola (Alfredo Campagnoli, Graziano Golinelli, Ugo Montevecchi and Gualtiero Vighi) had the idea of building a race circuit in these hills. In addition to the enthusiasm of these four, the initiative of Checco Costa was then added, who was to become the organiser of major motorcycle events.

On the 22nd March 1950 the first stone of the racetrack was laid, but work proceeded slowly due to bureaucratic problems and difficulty in acquiring the neighbouring land. It was not until 1954 that the first car race took place on the track. In 1963, however, the organisers collected a large purse and asked the Formula One teams if they would run in a non-championship event between the Pau and Pescara races. Most agreed, although Ferrari was notable by its absence.
 

The Imola Town Council decided to rename the circuit in honour of Enzo Ferrari's son Dino who had tragically died in 1956. The renaming of the track led to a loyalty from Enzo and the Circuit Dino Ferrari soon raised enough money to turn the track into a permanent closed circuit. When the great man died, the circuit was renamed, Circuit Enzo e Dino Ferrari.

1979 saw Formula One return to the track with the running of another non-championship event. In 1980, Imola hosted the Italian Grand Prix, the first and only time it would do so. 1981 saw the return of the Italian Grand Prix to Monza, but so popular was Imola that the San Marino Grand Prix was launched to make use of the circuit. 1982 saw one of the most legendary races in Formula One history. Having crashed at the corner which would later bear his name in 1981, Gilles Villeneuve returned to Imola determined to win. However, after a titanic battle his team mate at Ferrari, Didier Pironi, took the lead and won the race. Villeneuve was incensed as he claimed Pironi had broken team orders. He swore never to speak to him again. He never would. At the next race in Zolder, Villeneuve was killed in a horrifying accident in qualifying.

In 1983 Villeneuve's friend Patrick Tambay raced at Imola for Ferrari. He took Villeneuve's number 27 to victory. It was a most unlikely win, and legend says that Tambay recalled the car doing things he was not asking it to do. He said it was as if Gilles had been in the car with him. The magic of Imola was born. In 1987 and 1989 Nelson Piquet and Gerhard Berger had big accidents at the high speed Tamburello corner. They emerged relatively unscathed, but in 1994 the corner claimed the life of one of Formula One's greatest drivers, Ayrton Senna. In one of the sport's darkest weekends Rubens Barrichello was knocked unconscious on Friday morning. Roland Ratzenberger, the much loved Austrian rookie, was tragically killed on Saturday with minutes of qualifying left. The race itself saw collisions, stray tyres in the pit lane, and, most tragically, the death of Senna.

Despite the events of 1994, Imola has retained some of its magic. It is still a marvellous circuit with corners such as Acque Minerale providing real challenges for the modern Formula One driver. The atmosphere created by the tifosi is unlike anything on earth. They live and breathe Ferrari and give Imola a special type of magic you won't find anywhere else.