Officials in Vietnam have confirmed that the Hanoi Circuit has been completed, ahead of April’s planned inaugural grand prix.
Vietnam is set to join the calendar as the third round of the season from April 3 to 5, with a 5.607km-circuit designed around the streets on the outskirts of capital city Hanoi.
The last section of tarmac along the start/finish straight was completed this week and the circuit is now ready for use.
“This is a major milestone for us to celebrate as we come closer to staging Vietnam’s first ever Formula 1 race weekend in just over a month’s time,” said Le Ngoc Chi, CEO of the Vietnam Grand Prix Corporation.
“We are beyond excited to witness the extraordinary sight of Formula 1 cars racing on this incredible circuit.
“It will be a moment of great pride for the whole team here at VGPC and a fitting tribute to the hard work that has gone in to ensuring the newest track in F1 is ready on time.
“With the help of everyone at Tilke and F1’s Motorsport Division, we feel confident in saying that this track will be one of the most challenging and exciting on the F1 calendar and we look forward to it quickly becoming a fan favourite.”
However, doubts persist over whether the event will take place due to the ongoing impact of the Covid-19 outbreak across the world.
Vietnam has clamped down on entry to citizens who have visited a country in which there has been an outbreak of the virus.
Formula 1’s governing body, the FIA, confirmed on Wednesday that it is continuing to closely monitor the situation and will take action if necessary.
In a further development that could affect Formula 1 officials in Bahrain have suspended flights to and from Dubai for the next 48 hours.
A large proportion of the Formula 1 paddock travels to Bahrain, following on from the Australian Grand Prix, via Dubai.
