F1: With former mayor in jail, Hanoi GP may never happen
Vietnam inked a 10-year deal with Formula One in 2018 costing Vietnam $60 million a year, the fee was to be picked up in full by the country’s largest private conglomerate, VinGroup, which had planned a night race.
The city was set to make its F1 debut in 2020 but the inaugural Vietnamese Grand Prix was cancelled because of the Covid-19 pandemic, and Hanoi has not appeared on the race calendar since.
After the 2020 cancellation, the race was dropped from the 2021 global calendar when city mayor Nguyen Duc Chung, a major supporter of the grand prix, was arrested.
Chung was sentenced to 10 years in jail on corruption charges.
“Without Chung, the future of the race in Hanoi is gloomy,” a source close to the race told AFP on condition of anonymity in 2020.
Today, Hanoi’s motor race circuit lies largely abandoned with hopes faded that Vietnam’s capital will ever host a Formula 1 grand prix.
VIDEO: Vietnam’s Formula One track in Hanoi lies abandoned as hopes fade that the city will ever host a Grand Prix
The capital was due to make its F1 debut in 2020 but the event was shelved due to Covid, leaving the circuit empty and dotted with wastehttps://t.co/72M4Lpbiaf pic.twitter.com/T40uqqPaQf
— AFP News Agency (@AFP) October 14, 2022
Now, the spectator stands have been removed and most of the circuit sits empty — save a few hobby cyclists who sneak in, lured by the open space in the traffic-clogged city. AFP/Fox News
