beyondbrics

Argentines, who tend to fancy themselves as racing drivers when they are behind the wheel, have been deprived of Formula 1 for more than a decade. A new project to build a world-class race track north of Buenos Aires now aims to put that right.

The $100m project is being designed by Populous, the British company behind Soccer City, the World Cup stadium in Johannesburg, the Wembley Stadium in London, the Yankee Stadium in New York and a host of other big name venues. It also upgraded the Silverstone racetrack in England and is designing the main stadium for the 2012 Olympics in London.

Populous became involved in the Argentine project after being approached by a private investor – a route which John Rhodes, who heads motorsports projects at Populous, says is increasingly common. “Most of the recent proposed F1 circuits, in places like Delhi, are championed by private investors,” he told beyondbrics. “We are really looking forward to helping create something really special in Buenos Aires that will attract world class races and racers and the general public alike.”

The project, dubbed Velociudad (which translates as “velocity”) will be based in Zarate, an industrial city about 80 km (50 miles) north of Buenos Aires and will include a 5.4km racetrack, a six-star hotel and other services.

“The circuit will meet the FIA category 1 (F1) requirements. It is of course essential to make the project financially sustainable and deliverable. We therefore intend to create a phaseable scheme, that will accumulate in length suitable for a world class F1 site,” Rhodes says. “It will certainly be a benchmark for other facilities across the globe.”

Argentina, whose Juan Manuel Fangio dominated the early years of F1 racing, was on the F1 circuit until 1998. Financial difficulties with the race organisers ended its hosting of the event. But within a few years, F1 could be back.

Related reading:
Bahrain: F1 cancelled, reconciliation still far off, beyondbrics