F1 Vietnam GP confirmed for 2020: street circuit race to be held in Hanoi

Formula 1 bosses have announced that Vietnam will be added to the grand prix schedule from April 2020.

The F1 Vietnam GP will take place on a 5.565km street circuit around Vietnam’s capital, Hanoi, and will join China, Japan and Singapore as Asia’s fourth F1 race.

It will be the first new grand prix announced under the ownership of Liberty Media. In a statement, F1 chairman and chief executive Chase Carey said: “Since we became involved in this sport in 2017, we have talked about developing new destination cities to broaden the appeal of Formula 1 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.

“Our motorsport team, working in collaboration with the City of Hanoi and promoter Vingroup, has worked to enable a circuit that will not only test the drivers but also ensure that our fans enjoy the racing spectacle.

“We are really looking forward to seeing Formula 1 cars speeding around the streets of this fantastic city from 2020.”

F1 Vietnam GP: about the street circuit

The Vietnam GP will become F1’s fourth street race after Monaco, Singapore and Azerbaijan. The circuit, located on the west side of Hanoi near the My Dinh National Stadium, will be 5.565km in length and feature 22 turns.

F1.com reports that the new circuit will take inspiration from tracks around the world. F1.com writer Lawrence Barretto said: “It’s not your typical street circuit – far from it. The aim was to create a unique hybrid layout, fusing a street circuit’s characteristics with a permanent countryside track layout within the confines of the city’s topography.

“There was a real desire to steer away from humdrum 90-degree road-junction type corners and foster a layout that facilitates wheel-to-wheel racing while retaining a closed-in street feel that makes city race tracks so demanding for drivers.”

Turns one and two are based on the opening corners at Germany’s Nurburgring, while turns 12 to 15 are inspired by Monaco. Turns 16 to 19 are “reminiscent of the sweeping iconic Esses at Suzuka” and the final three corners are inspired by Malaysia’s Sepang.