F1 cancels Hanoi 2020 schedule

Four last-minute races have been added to the 2020 F1 calendar, with Hanoi absent from the new list.

Turkey, Bahrain (hosting two races), and Abu Dhabi will be part of the revised season, bringing the total number of races to 17, Formula One stated Tuesday.

A number of races in the revised 2020 season will be open to a limited number of fans, including hospitality, it said.

While three races will be hosted in Asia this year, the Vietnamese Grand Prix in Hanoi did not make the list, along with the Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai, due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.

“We are all disappointed that we have not been able to return to some of our planned races this year,” F1 said.

The schedule for the postponed Hanoi debut will be announced by F1 after the season ends.

The Turkish Grand Prix will occur on November 15, before the back-to-back races in Bahrain on November 29 and December 6. The season concluding Abu Dhabi Grand Prix will take place on December 13.

In early July, with the pandemic contained in Vietnam, Hanoi’s authorities had mentioned the possibility of commencing the race in November.

However, the second Covid-19 wave hit the country in late July after more than three months with no community transmission, with Da Nang in central Vietnam the new hotspot. A total 547 people have been infected since and 28 have died.

Since the start of the pandemic, Hanoi has recorded 156 cases, of which 145 have recovered.

The highly anticipated Vietnamese Grand Prix, the first F1 race in Vietnam, has been postponed since March because of Covid-19. The race wil be held on Hanoi Street Circuit, a temporary track next to My Dinh National Stadium.

Hanoi already signed a 10-year contract to host the race starting this year.

By Hoang Nguyen – VnExpress.net – August 26, 2020