The city of Rio de Janeiro has been busy of late, rebuilding its infrastructure and trying to brush up its image It is still one of the richest cities in Brazil, but an estimated 20 percent of the population still live in shanty towns. Crime rates in the city have been high and this has affected the tourist trade but Rio recognises that it needs to improve to make the most of its fabulous setting and beautiful beaches. The city has managed to attract not only the 2014 FIFA World Cup Final, but also the 2016 Olympics Games. The aim is to keep this progress going and as part of the plan the mayor Eduardo Paes has been pushing for the construction of a new autodrome to replace the old Jacarepaguá circuit, which has been largely torn up to make way for facilities for the Olympic Games. The project chosen is on land at Deodoro, where a former military base will be handed over to the government for the work. It was once the largest ammunition dump in South America and so has rail access, which will be useful for spectators. This is slightly controversial as the land still has occasional unexploded bombs found and because it had been earmarked to become parkland. The government has decided that it can be both a park and a race track, in much the same way as happens in Albert Park in Melbourne or in Montreal. The work will include the planting of large numbers of new trees and a track that will largely use areas where the trees have already gone. The circuit will be a figure of eight design. The track will have only 30,000 seats, but will be able to accommodate a large number more with temporary seating if there is ever a Grand Prix. The project is also aimed at improving the local area, where there are currently a lot of slums.
Paes said at the launch of the project that he would steal Formula 1 away from Sao Paulo. This will be a very useful lever for Bernie Ecclestone who has been trying to get the authorities at Interlagos to get on and build a new pit and paddock area at the track, which has been used for the Brazilian Grand Prix since 1990.
Prior to that the race was held at Jacarepaguá between 1981 and 1989 and before then at the original Interlagos. The rivalry between the two cities is as strong as well.
joeblogsf1 
Does this make sense given that they were just claiming they can’t fund the world cup without the oil revenues they lost?
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-11-07/rio-says-world-cup-a-bust-as-congress-strips-state-of-taxes-2-.html
I’ll believe it when I see it Joe – when Jacarepagua was originally chosen as the site for these (temporary!) Olympic venues the agreement between all parties (including local motoracing federation) was that the new track at Deodoro would have to be built and ready for local teams to race on before the keys to the old track were handed over to Olympic executive. There was also an issue with relocating people who lived around the old racing track. What was agreed back then hasnt happened – Jacarepagua has already has most structures (grandstands etc) and tarmac removed and Deodoro isnt even approved as a suitable site due to Environemental impact studies and the Army decomissioning. The later will probably take years as they need special explosives disposal equipment to be bought, imported then scan the entire area, clear it… it will be a nightmare.
If Rio mayor was serious about hosting an F1 GP, MotoGP, Indycar or any other major motoracing event, he would have kept a track with perfect facilities, location, plenty of history and spent a lot less money bringing it up to scratch. This is all political talk – hot air, no substance – so they can use the area for other projects later, once Olympic games are over.
As for Sao Paulo they already have the plans to build the new pit complex on the back straight next year, seems to be a very straight forward project.
I know which of the two projects I’d back to be ready in 2014…
“There was also an issue with relocating people who lived around the old racing track.”
That’s OK, they’ll just force the locals out like they always do for big events.
It will be amazing if we could have both GPs. In São Paulo the Brazilian GP and in Rio the South American GP.
São Paulo is a much more traditional town in motor sports and F1 than Rio. Also it is in São paulo that many of F1 sponsors companies have their offices.
But Rio is a much more tourist city with beautiful places and a perfect scenario for a F1 race as well.
It’s a shame that Jacarepaguá circuit was completely ruined and I have doubts that they would ever build another one in Deodoro to replace it. Politics in Brazil is very unstable and things are prone to change easily.
Not far way from the old circuit there is the “City of Music”, a huge headquarters projected to host the symphonic orchestra, where the former mayor, Cesar Maia buried more than R$500 million (U$200 Million), and it is unfinished till today.
Interesting wording there – ‘where a former military base will be handed over to the government for the work’.
If the government didn’t ‘control’ the military base on what we know as traditional lines, who did?
Joe, have you heard if the safety improvements that were promised after last years race at Interlagos have now been implemented? I’ve seen a photo on Twitter that shows the T1 run off has now been paved over, but I’m interested if the grandstands and run off at T14 (where Webber and Alonso crashed heavily in 2003) have now been changed?
Happy travels!
T1 as in Turn 1, as in the Senna S??
Hasn’t this been paved for a few years now?
Oops, guess I wasn’t paying attention! 🙂
Was it completely covered over last season?
This is the twitter image I was referring to, posted a couple of days ago but with hindsight it could be from last season.
pic.twitter.com/nuVHBIUl
You see that is where I get annoyed with BE. All the hassle Silverstone has had over the years from him when everyone complained more about Interlagos’s facilities but was left largely untouched. I love both tracks as a TV spectator so what’s the problem Bernie? I don’t suppose it’s the lack of decent facilities for fans?
Brazil was and still is a good market to be in and to develop F1 in.
Agreed – I have no problem with Interlagos just the people who run F1.
I find it interesting that you say Bernie needs leverage in order to get improvements made at the track. I thought that pulling a race from the calendar was leverage enough. He certainly made that amply clear at Silverstone, where he moaned constantly. If Bernie wants something related to F1 he usually gets it. I wonder what magical appeal Interlagos has that Spa doesn’t.
Yes but he needs Brazil.
You’d think that would also be the case with Silverstone Joe. TV audience figures to one side British fans are by far and away the most loyal and knowledgable in F1 – no drifting away from the circuit when the national team or drivers bombs out, as can be often seen when Ferrari fail at Monza.
It would be great to have F1 races back in Rio, but as a Brazilian I do not see it happening in a short time frame – Deodoro is still far from leaving the “Promise” status, and I do not see a strong political commitment to make it happen – even because F1 expectators tends to decrease in Brazil if there are no new local drivers succeeding on the replacement of Rubens/Felipe era
Joe,
A terrible area to have a circuit. We need a street circuit in Rio or Niteroi . The best vieweof Rio is from the Niteroi side.
Long Beach used to be a terrible area. Maybe they want the circuit to engineer a better neighbourhood.
Reportedly, Rio will also host the inaugural round of the FIA Formula E championship in 2014, so another good chance to showcase the city.
Unexploded bombs! F1 Mario-Kart style 😀
BIALYSTOCK
(sings)
“Ah, Rio, Rio by the seao, meo,
myo, meo … ”
BLOOM
(afraid of the
scheme, afraid of the
dance, afraid of Bialystock)
Mr. Bialystock. No. Wait. Please.
You’re holding me too tight. I’m
an honest man. You don’t understand.
BIALYSTOCK
(leading Bloom as he talks)
No, Bloom, you don’t understand.
This is fate, this is destiny.
There’s no avoiding it.