The track was originally called the Autodromo di Imola, and inaugurated as a semi-permanent venue in 1953. It had no chicanes, so the runs from Acque Minerali to Rivazza, and from Rivazza all the way to Tosa, through the pits and the Tamburello, were just straights with a few small bends; the circuit remained in this configuration until 1972. In April 1953, the first motorcycle races took place, while the first car race took place in June 1954.
In April 1963, the circuit hosted its first Formula One race, as a non-championship event. A further non-championship event took place at Imola in 1979. In 1980 Imola officially debuted in the Formula One World Championship calendar by hosting the 1980 Italian Grand Prix. It was the first time since 1948 that the Autodromo Nazionale Monza did not host the Italian Grand Prix. A new race, the San Marino Grand Prix, was established especially for Imola in 1981 and remained on the calendar until 2006. The race was held over 60 laps of the 5.040 km (3.132 mi) circuit for a total race distance of 300 kilometres.
Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, safety concerns were raised with the circuit, particularly with the high-speed Tamburello corner where numerous accidents occurred. This resulted in fatalities, including the death of Ayrton Senna and Roland Ratzenberger in 1994. In 1987, Nelson Piquet crashed heavily during practice after a tyre failure and missed the race due to injury. In 1989, Gerhard Berger crashed his Ferrari at Tamburello after a front wing failure, surviving the impact thanks to quick work by firefighters and medical personnel. In response to the deaths of Senna and Ratzenberger, modifications were carried out to the Tamburello corner to make it safer by converting it from a flat-out left hander to a left-right-left chicane. Chicanes were also introduced at multiple points to reduce cornering speeds, which changed the nature of the course.
During the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix, Roland Ratzenberger crashed fatally during Saturday qualifying. The following day, Ayrton Senna died after a crash at the Tamburello corner on Lap 7. In the aftermath, revisions were immediately made to the circuit, including modifications to the Tamburello and Villeneuve corners, and the Acqua Minerali chicane.
Formula One stopped racing at Imola in 2007, leading the circuit owners to undertake major reconstruction work. After the work was completed, a contract was signed for Formula One to return in 2017, but legal disputes prevented this. It eventually returned in 2020, with the circuit hosting the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix since then. When Formula One visits Imola, it is considered one of the home circuits of the Scuderia Ferrari racing team, which is based in nearby Maranello. The circuit has hosted a round of the Superbike World Championship from 2001 to 2006 and later since 2009. It hosts the final round of the FIM Motocross World Championship since 2018.
The circuit has been used for other events, including stages of the Giro d'Italia and the 2020 UCI Road World Championships. The circuit's fastest official race lap record is 1:15.484, set by Lewis Hamilton during the 2020 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix. The track was also used as part of the finishing circuit for the 1968 UCI Road World Championships, where Vittorio Adorni won with a lead of 10 minutes and 10 seconds.
Current events hosted at the circuit include the FIA World Endurance Championship 6 Hours of Imola, the Italian GT Championship ACI Racing Weekend Imola, and the Porsche Carrera Cup Germany. The circuit also hosts several other motorsport series, including the Superbike World Championship, Motocross World Championship, and European Le Mans Series. Several road bicycle races have also used the circuit.