Vietnam Inching Closer to 2020 F1 Calendar

Plans to bring Vietnam onto the F1 calendar for the 2020 season are set to be confirmed soon.

Vietnam has been a country that has been long rumoured to be joining the F1 circus and it looks like it will in a couple of year’s time.

This would be the first addition to the calendar by Liberty, with an official announcement likely to come next month.

F1 race director Charlie Whiting visited the Hanoi location, where the race will take place, ahead of the Japanese Grand Prix.

He has no doubts that the facility would be ready to host a race in 2020.

“There is no actual progress at building the track, but the site has been identified,” Whiting said.

“It is in the advanced stages of design and I think, as far as I am aware, they are aiming for a 2020 Grand Prix.

“That shouldn’t be a problem based on previous experience.”

The race director also confirmed that only part of the circuit would need building, with some of the track using current roads.

“It is mainly on the streets, but there is a section that is not yet built,” he added.

“That is an open site where the pit buildings are going to be built.

“Part of the track will be built there, which doesn’t exist at the moment. But it will become a road after that.”

The fraternity is steadily growing as more countries clamour to seal a slot on the F1 calendar. Vietnam is just the latest country to do so. However, some countries like Denmark have backed out for their own reasons.

This decision could likely be a bid to give Asia a stronger presence on the F1 map. Now, with the 2018 season nearly wrapped up, the teams will be looking ahead to 2019 and 2020.