Circuito de Jerez, the former F1 track used in the 1990s, has been flooded due to rainfall. (Image: Getty/X/@FirstLapF1)
A former Formula One track that hosted a pre-season test in February has been submerged by a metre of water following a huge downpour. The Circuito de Jerez, based in the southern Spain region of Andalucia, has been hit by spells of heavy rain this week, which has led to treacherous flooding in some areas of the circuit. Images taken from the track’s ‘UFO’ gantry show the final straight disappearing under the murky brown rainwater, while the pit lane had been flooded completely.
Local reports suggest that the circuit is currently without electricity as a result of the flooding, with 120 litres per square metre of rain falling in recent days, according to Circuito de Jerez track officials. The venue is capable of hosting 125,000 spectators and opened in 1985, hosting seven F1 races during the late 1980s and 1990s. The 2.75-mile circuit is close to the city of Jerez de la Frontera, which is located about 50 miles south of Seville. It was recently revealed that hosted a secret test for Liam Lawson to get to grips inside their RB19 championship-winning car, before all 10 F1 teams headed to Bahrain for three days of testing last week.
Plumes of water flow around the Circuito de Jerez (Image: x/@FirstLapF1)
It was also the setting in 1997 where Jacques Villeneuve claimed his first and only world championship title. It paints a worrying picture for the motorsport venue, with organisers facing a tall order to ensure their facilities are back to working order. However, officials released a statement on Tuesday to reassure fans that future events will go ahead as planned – and confirmed no people were injured.
It read: “Following the passage of an intense storm yesterday afternoon that caused numerous incidents both in the rural area near the Jerez-Ángel Nieto Circuit and on the circuit itself, work began today to fine-tune the facilities in order to resume activity as soon as possible.
“Since early morning, the circuit workers have been carrying out cleaning tasks that will last for several days.
The pitlane had also been entirely flooded by water (Image: x/@FirstLapF1)
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“For the peace of mind of fans, the Jerez Circuit guarantees that the work being carried out at the facilities from today guarantees that the Spanish Grand Prix will be held as scheduled from 25 to 27 April, and only the activity closest to these days will be affected by these cleaning and repair works.
“The Jerez-Angel Nieto Circuit has today put all human and material resources at its disposal to resume activity as soon as possible.” The worst-affected area is Turn 13, named ‘the Jorge Lorenzo curve’, which will require repairs after the escape route was ‘lifted at various points’.
The Circuito de Jerez now hosts Superbike and MotoGP races (Image: Getty)
Spain’s state meteorological agency Aemet has forecasted more unstable conditions to last throughout the week, with a warning of “heavy or very heavy and persistent rain” until Thursday, March 6, which could delay the clean-up operation.
Despite this, the track is still scheduled to host the Spanish Superbike Championship on March 22-23 and MotoGP’s Spanish Grand Prix between April 25-27.