THE UNITED STATES Grand Prix at the new Circuit of The Americas track in Austin, Texas, will go ahead after meeting FIA standards.
The race, the first Formula One event to be held in the USA since 2007, will take place on 18 November – the penultimate weekend of the 2012 season.
It had been scheduled in the F1 calendar but was yet to be confirmed until FIA race director and safety delegate Charlie Whiting had inspected the track.
Whiting spent two hours assessing the new circuit yesterday and was suitably impressed, giving it the Grade 1 status it required to host a F1 grand prix.
“The track design is fantastic, the quality of the workmanship is excellent and I have no concerns at all,” Whiting said. ”This will be a very unique Grand Prix, a lot of types of corners that will provide a lot of overtaking opportunities.
“The progress that’s been made since the last time I was here is amazing. I think the guys here have done an awesome job. It really is fantastic, everything’s built to the highest quality, exactly as we expected, and I’ve got absolutely no complaints.”
Drivers will race 56 laps on the 5.51km circuit with a massive crowd expected to watch the event. Whiting will conduct the final inspection on November 12.
