Madrid's first Formula 1 race edged closer to reality this week as an FIA inspection eased fears over the readiness of the new Madring circuit - though a legal tangle over the track's design continues in the background.
FIA race director Rui Marques, accompanied by official Jorge Abed, toured the part-street, part-permanent layout by bus to gauge how construction is coming along. The verdict was encouraging, with the inaugural event still pencilled in for its 13 September target date.
That reassurance carries weight for a circuit being assembled almost from nothing on the edge of the Spanish capital. Doubts have lingered over whether the venue can be completed in time, so a positive read from the governing body offers a meaningful confidence boost.
Organisers are bullish. Promoter representative Luis Garcia Abad said: "We are progressing well, as planned, and we will be ready to organize a test event before the grand prix," pointing to a planned shakedown and final checks before competitive running begins. On the ground, paving has started on the layout's signature banked "Monumental" complex, and ticket demand is said to be strong despite premium prices.
The Monumental banking is also, awkwardly, the focus of the dispute. A German court is examining an intellectual-property claim between Italian design house Dromo and the Tilke Group over who holds the rights to the circuit's design. The core question is whether the layout is protected creative work or simply the product of technical and safety constraints. A preliminary injunction currently blocks the reproduction of certain planning documents, and both parties claim authorship of the banking.
Such cases rarely stop a race from happening, but they can linger and complicate the story of a marquee new venue. For now, the practical indicators are positive: the FIA has inspected the site and come away satisfied, the promoter is confident a test event will go ahead, and the contested banking is already being laid.
Carlos Sainz is among the drivers to have sampled the Madring's first laps, and on the evidence of this week, Spain's capital remains on course to welcome Formula 1 in September - whatever the courts ultimately decide about who drew it.
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*Originally published on [News Formula One](https://newsformula.one/article/madring-on-track-september-design-court-battle). Visit for full coverage.*