Court Suspends Contracting of Deodoro Racetrack Consortium in Rio de Janeiro

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – A federal court in Rio de Janeiro suspended, on Friday afternoon, July 19th, the contracting of the company that won the bid for the construction of the future Formula 1 Deodoro racetrack in Rio de Janeiro.

The injunction was petitioned by the Federal Prosecutor’s Office, requesting that no work be carried out before the Environmental Impact Study and Report (EIA-Rima) is submitted, and the environmental body has granted the preliminary license.

The tender was organized by Rio’s City Hall, announcing Rio Motorpark as the successful bidder in May.

The company was awarded the right to build and operate a racetrack on a 4.5-square kilometer site, ceded by the army in Deodoro, in the city’s West Zone.

The concession contract is valid for 35 years and has an estimated value of R$ 697 million.

City Hall stated that it has not yet been notified and that it will examine the decision when it is formally notified.

Rio Motorpark noted that it would comply with all legal requirements and the bidding notice; and that it is conducting an environmental impact study.

There had already been a judicial decision forbidding the state government to conduct the bidding process for lack of environmental impact studies.

Since it had not been notified on the decision, the Rio City Hall took the lead and made the bid, with Rio Motorpark as the only bidder.

The Federal Prosecutor’s Office (MPF) tried to suspend the bidding process before the successful bidder was announced, but only now did the federal court grant the injunction.

The project includes the construction of a new racetrack in Rio, suitable for Formula 1 races, at a site known as the Camboatá Forest, in Deodoro, in the city’s West Zone.

According to the MPF, the area “is the only remnant of the greater Atlantic Forest located in a flat area in the city.”