F1: Austin circuit is on schedule (+photos)

By ,

The Circuit of the Americas has received permits from Travis County to begin above-ground construction on five significant buildings, including the main grandstand for the track southeast of Austin.

Circuit of the Americas. (Photo: Kevin McCaulay)

The local American Statesman reports the County officials issued permits Friday, authorizing construction of the grandstand, the pit building and the teams building at the $300 million racetrack. The county also approved construction of the track's media center and medical building, said Teresa Calkins, a senior engineer for Travis County.

The 3.4-mile circuit is scheduled to host its inaugural F1 US Grand Prix next year, on November 18.

A spokesman for the Circuit of the Americas, Jeff Hahn, said about 200 concrete piers are being placed as part of the foundations for the buildings.

Circuit of the Americas. (Photo: Kevin McCaulay)

Formula 1 track designer Hermann Tilke dismissed the suggestions that building work was running late. He says that construction work at the new Circuit of the Americas track in Texas is on schedule.

"We are working on it. There are a couple of hundred workers on the site, a lot of machines, and everything is on schedule up to now," Hermann Tilke told Autosport .

Circuit of the Americas. (Photo: Kevin McCaulay)

Hermann Tilke is excited with the potential of the layout of the track. He believes the circuit will benefit from the kind of gradients that made the new Buddh Circuit in India so interesting.

"In Austin we have had the advantage that we have some natural elevation and some hills which we could use. It is going to be very fast," he explained.