The general manager of the future Madring circuit assured that F1 fans would have no doubt about the progress of the project if they had the chance to visit the site today: everything is going well.
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The Spanish capital is set to host the Spanish Grand Prix on this new hybrid layout the weekend of September 11 to 13, with around 110,000 spectators expected.
But for several months, questions have persisted about the circuit’s actual ability to be ready on time. Recently published images of the site still showed a largely unfinished and very underdeveloped complex.
Construction in progress
The project’s general manager, Luis Garcia Abad (former manager of Fernando Alonso), however wanted to reassure about the schedule: “We are in a very good phase because the main works will be completed by the end of this month. We have finished paving the main straight as well as the construction of the pit building. The garages are now installed according to the program signed with the construction companies. We feel confident. FIA representatives inspected the circuit last week and we are following exactly the process we defined together.”
Abad then detailed the next steps of the construction: once the main works are completed, the project will move on to the installation of grandstands, hospitality areas, and temporary infrastructures.
But above all, the organizers want to test the circuit as early as possible to avoid the problems encountered by some new Grands Prix in recent years.
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“As soon as the works are finished this month, we will start installing the grandstands and reception infrastructures,” he explained. “We have also planned a testing program with road cars and single-seaters in June and July. We are working with the ASN, FIA, and Formula One Management to precisely define what we want to test, because we want to avoid the problems encountered during the first editions at other circuits.”
A legal dispute
Abad notably cites the example of the Miami Grand Prix, whose first edition was marked by several organizational and operational difficulties: “Miami had a very complicated first edition. We want to avoid this type of problems, at least concerning on-track activity.”
The executive also insists that the project is perfectly on schedule: “We still have 15 weeks ahead of us and we have enough time to cover all these topics,” he states.
However, a dispute opposes the Italian company Dromo, led by circuit architect Jarno Zaffelli, to the German group Tilke, a world reference in Formula 1 circuit design. Dromo had initially developed the concept of the Madrid layout. However, the promoter IFEMA Madrid then entrusted the group founded by Hermann Tilke with continuing and finalizing the project.
The dispute concerns the protection of certain design elements of the circuit, including the famous banked “Monumental” turn, and whether these fall under copyright law. A precautionary measure has already been issued to prevent the reproduction of certain technical documents during the case’s investigation, but this does not threaten the smooth running of the Grand Prix.
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