Spain's latest F1 circuit could be the best in the world, claims (Madrid-born) Carlos Sainz.

The Spaniard was speaking at the official launch of the street track which will host the country's round of the world championship from next year.

"I think we can be the best circuit in the world and the best event of the whole calendar," Sainz told reporters as construction work on the new track finally got underway. "There will be 24 or 25 races, and I honestly think along with Mexico, Miami, Las Vegas that do it very well but sincerely, I trust a lot in Madrid and I believe that Madrid can do better.

"The drivers have asked me about the circuit, the corners, the layout," he said, "I've told them not to worry, that I'm going to try to help as much as possible to make the circuit a good show.

"What I ask of an F1 circuit as a driver is that it has charisma and character, that it has a lot of corners that make it different," he continued. "There are circuits like Baku, which has no major corners beyond the castle section, but it has character, because it's very long straights, there's a lot of overtaking, it's spectacular.

"There is Jeddah, which is all fast corners and also spectacular. They're all urban circuits, but they've managed to have character. And what I ask of Madring and what we are achieving is that it has that character between being a hybrid circuit, with an urban area with the walls very close and then that more open part, more like a traditional European circuit, which is what we drivers like the most.

"The final part, the banked corners and fast corner sequences, it's more what we like and what we see at the traditional European circuits. And this circuit has both, it has the open area and the more closed area of the walls."

Spain first hosted a round of the world championship at the Pedralbes circuit in Barcelona in 1951 and again in 1954. The country's next world championship event was in 1968 at Jarama, a municipality in the Community of Madrid, before switching to Barcelona's Montjuic circuit. The event subsequently effectively alternated between the two until the disaster of 1975 when Rolf Stommelen crashed and landed in an enclosure killing a number of fans.

Between 1976 and 1981 the race continued at Jarama before Spain dropped off the schedule not to return until 1986 when the grand prix moved to Jerez. From 1991 the race was held at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, and while the Madring will host the country's race from next season, there is talk of Barcelona returning, if only on an alternating basis.

As part of the move to host events in destination cities, thereby making easy access for the rich and the beautiful, the Madring, though on the outskirts of Madrid, will be easily accessible, and is conveniently close to Barajas, the capital's main airport.

"Everything that will be around it," said Sainz, "all the concerts and all the activations will help the city a lot. I think we can have the best circuit in the world and the best event of the whole calendar."