The General Manager of the Madring circuit has told Motorsport Week that Formula 1 fans would have “no doubt” that the circuit will be ready for its inaugural Grand Prix if given the chance to see its current status.
The Spanish capital is set to hold the Spanish Grand Prix at the new hybrid circuit on the weekend of September 11-13, in front of an expected capacity of around 110,000.
However, there has been long-held fears about the likelihood that the race will go ahead, as the complex has been shown to still look considerably barren in recent months.
Last month, Motorsport Week revealed the recent status of the circuit in photos and footage exclusively obtained in March.
However, in an exclusive interview with Motorsport Week held over the Miami Grand Prix weekend, Madring General Manager Luis Garcia Abad issued a current timeline of the work in progress.
“Well, we are in a very good time because the works will finish at the end of this month,” he said. “Yesterday [May 1], we finished with the asphalt in the main straight and the construction of the pit building, and boxes are going in with the programme that we signed up with the construction companies.
“So we feel comfortable and, Stefano [Domenicali, F1 CEO] was in Madrid a couple of weeks ago and we are in the process that we defined together.”
When asked for a timeline on what stages come next on its timeframe, Abad revealed that grandstands and additional facilities are soon to be on the agenda, and outlined a clear desire to test a great deal of them as much as possible, to eradicate any teething problems once the race actually comes.
“Well, at this moment, when we finish the works at the end of this month, we will start with the installation of the grandstand and hospitality and all these facilities,” he said.
“And we have a programme in order to test with road cars and single-seaters in June and July. But we are coordinating with ASN [Autorité Sportive Nationale], FIA and FOM in order to define clearly what we want, because we want to test the circuit because we want to avoid the problems that we have seen in the past in the first races [at other circuits].
“If you remember here [Miami], it was a very difficult first edition. And we don’t want to have this kind of problems, at least in terms of track activity.
“And you know that we are working with the corporation as well in order to have all these topics covered. And to be honest, we have 140 days in front of us and we have enough time in order to cover these topics.”
Abad ‘understands’ fans’ fears, but is confident in F1 race going ahead
Over the weekend of the Formula E race held in the city at the former F1 venue Circuito del Jarama, Motorsport Week learned that a number of Madrid locals were scpetical about the race going ahead, given what appears to be a lot of work still to be completed.
But Abad explained that, whilst there is still “a lot of things to do,” if fans were able to see the depth of work that is being completed, there would be a much higher breadth of confidence in the 22-strong grid lining up on the circuit on September 13.
“Well, to be honest, it’s something that if you have the opportunity to visit the works, same that FIA, FOM, they are doing, you will not have any doubt about that,” he said.
“It’s true that rumours are coming always from the same place. So maybe it’s much more easy to understand the reasons.
“But I repeat to you, we are respecting the times that we signed on in the contract with the construction company. No delays, no special problems in this moment.
“For sure that we have a lot of things to do.”
Since the interview, circuit ambassador Carlos Sainz has conducted an interview whilst driving on the circuit, underlining the progress made.
READ MORE – Carlos Sainz delivers honest verdict of F1 Miami GP regulation changes
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