SHANGHAI, Aug. 6 -- Shanghai International Circuit Company did an about face today, saying that grandstands at the city's Formula One racetrack damaged in a storm on Friday may not be repaired this year, Youth Daily reported.

The company said yesterday that repair work would be completed on Wednesday.

"We may not repair the damaged stands this year as dismantling the seats, clearing debris and rebuilding work all require time," Wang Ying, deputy general manager of Shanghai Circuit, told the newspaper. "Even if we finish before the Chinese Grand Prix, we may still be short of time to carry out safety tests on the repair work."

Shanghai Circuit is responsible for the track and stands. The company said today it would offer seats in other areas of the track to spectators who purchased tickets for the F1 race in the four damaged grandstands, Youth Daily said, citing Wang.

The three-day F1 Chinese Grand Prix will start on October 5.

Wang assured fans that delays in repair work will not affect the race and the company wouldn't raise ticket prices.

The company yesterday denied it used light-weight alloys not strong enough to withstand strong winds in the construction of the stands.

The storm blew sections of the grandstands and guardrails some 20 meters in Jiading District.

The grandstands were linked. Once one began to collapse, the others followed, according to circuit security guards.

No one was injured in the accident and the base sections of the grandstands remained intact.

A one-story house in Jiading was also blown down during the storm in which wind speeds reached 134 to 149 kilometers per hour. No one was injured.