Formula 1 has finally announced their first major change to the sport since the change of leadership from Bernie Ecclestone to Liberty Media in 2017. Vietnam will now hold a new race in the capital, Hanoi. The race will be added to the 2020 season around April, when the Chinese Grand Prix will be.
The race will be a street circuit around the capital with a length of 5.565km, which is closest in length to the Yas Marina Circuit (Abu Dhabi Grand Prix). Hanoi will have four main straights, making it likely to be a power heavy circuit.
Chase Carey, F1 Chairman stated, “We are delighted to announce that Hanoi will host a Formula 1 Grand Prix. 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. 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."
Although many teams and drivers aren't all thrilled about adding more races to the calendar, this has to be one to look forward to with the challenge of a new track and a new country for Formula 1 to tackle. Many drivers have previously stated that they would preferably like to stick to a limit of around 20 races, some of them being ex-teammates; Daniel Ricciardo and Sebastian Vettel.
Daniel Ricciardo was previously asked in a press conference whether a shorter race calendar would be more beneficial for the sport. "It depends if those other weekends are holidays or marketing days. If its marketing days, then I prefer 23 races. If it is holidays, then I prefer 16 races." The Australian stated whilst laughing.
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