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Imola has signed a conditional contract to host the Italian Grand Prix next year.
The former San Marino Grand Prix host is set to take over from Monza after politics threatened to end the track's 66 year stay on the F1 calendar.
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Imola chief Selvatico Estense told La Repubblica that F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone reached out to Imola after negotiations with Monza stalled..
"After four years of negotiations (with Monza) that made him lose patience, Ecclestone called us that gave us the same conditions.
"We accepted," he said. "So we signed a contract for the Italian grand prix from 2017."
La Repubblica reported that the deal, depends on whether funds in the hands of the Italian automobile club ACI can be released.
"The ACI argues that the money is only for Monza, but we say that it is intended for the Italian GP," Selvatico Estense said.
"If the state had allocated that money to Monza it would benefit a single company, which is illegal."
Estense, however, insists that Imola is "ready" to step in if needed.
Imola previously held the Italian Grand Prix in 1980, the only year the race has been held anywhere other than Monza.
The last race held at the track was the San Marino Grand Prix in 2006.
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