Vietnam could host Formula One Grand Prix in November, says Hanoi chairman

Race was initially due to take place on 5 April but was postponed because of the Covid-19 pandemic

Vietnam could host the country’s first Formula One Grand Prix in late November, the ruling body of its capital city said on Monday as the country approaches three months without domestic transmission of coronavirus.

The Vietnam GP was initially due to take place in Hanoi on 5 April but was postponed because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Organisers said at the time that they would monitor the virus situation and pick another date for the race.

“We are assessing all virus-related issues and will discuss them with the organisers,” Hanoi’s chairman Nguyen Duc Chung told local media this week at a meeting, a recording of which was obtained by Reuters.

“Hopefully the race can be resumed by end-November.”

Chung did not elaborate and it was not clear if a November date had been discussed with F1.

The 2020 F1 season started in Austria on Sunday with an initial calendar that so far has eight races in Europe, without spectators, until September, with uncertainty about how many races there will be come the end of the year.

Thanks to an aggressive, targeted testing programme and a centralised quarantine system, Vietnam has contained infections numbers to just 369, most of whom have recovered. There have been no reported deaths.

Reuters