Work on the Hanoi Circuit track has been completed ahead of Formula 1’s inaugural staging of the Vietnam Grand Prix next month.
Race promoter the Vietnam Grand Prix Corporation (VGPC) has released new images of the track, which is located next to My Dinh National Stadium. The grand prix is scheduled to take place on the weekend of April 3-5.
The track will stretch 5,607km and the final 150m-long stretch was laid last week along the start/finish line. The circuit centres on a hybrid design and fuses a street circuit’s characteristics with a permanent track layout.
The circuit is the first of its kind to be developed in partnership by Tilke Engineers and F1’s own motorsports division. Track materials have been 100-per-cent locally sourced in Vietnam.
The construction milestone follows the recent completion of the Hanoi Circuit’s 300m-long Pit Building. The focus will now turn to the construction of temporary structures around the circuit, including the grandstands which have been named after Vietnamese cities and locations.
Le Ngoc Chi, chief executive of the VGPC, said: “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.
“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. With grandstands and all remaining temporary structures also going up around the track, the excitement in and around Hanoi for the Formula 1 VinFast Vietnam Grand Prix 2020 is continuing to grow. We are ready and can’t wait to welcome the world to Hanoi very soon.”
F1 chief executive Chase Carey has insisted that the races in Vietnam and Bahrain will go ahead as planned amid continued concerns over the coronavirus. The Chinese Grand Prix, which had been scheduled for April 17, has already been postponed due to the outbreak.
Image: Vietnam Grand Prix
