Formula One has announced that as of April 2020, a Grand Prix will be held in the Vietnamese capital of Hanoi.
The grand has been mooted for some time, but was officially confirmed by F1 officials on Wednesday.
The street race will be staged from 2020 onwards, and it becomes the first new addition to the calendar in the post-Bernie Ecclestone era.
Earlier this year, F1’s American owners’ Liberty Media were forced to put plans for a race in Miami on hold after opposition from local groups.
While there are just two of this year’s record-equalling 21 races remaining, Wednesday’s announcement, coupled with a potential Miami race in 2020, could now see that tally increase to 23, despite resistance from some teams.
The inaugural Vietnam Grand Prix will take place over a 3.46-mile track on a combination of existing and newly-built roads.
“We are delighted to announce that Hanoi will host a Formula One Grand Prix,” Chase Carey, the sport’s chairman, said.
“Since we became involved in this sport in 2017, we have talked about developing new destination cities to broaden the appeal of Formula One and the Vietnamese Grand Prix is a realisation of that ambition.
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“We are thrilled to be here in Hanoi, one of the most exciting cities in the world right now with such a rich history and an incredible future ahead of it.
“This is the perfect formula for Grand Prix racing and I look forward to this becoming a real highlight of the F1 calendar.”
The new race will be promoted by Vingroup, a conglomerate controlled by property developer, and Vietnam’s first billionaire, Pham Nhat Vuong.
Alongside Singapore, Japan and China, the Vietnamese race will be the fourth staged in Asia.
Source: TalkSport.com Motorsport
