The city was supposed to make its F1 debut in 2020, but the inaugural Vietnamese Grand Prix was cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic, and Hanoi has not appeared on the race calendar since.
Outside the metal fence, Hanoi’s ubiquitous motorbikes have already reclaimed the roads designated as part of the 5.6-kilometer route.
A bleak prospect
Vietnam signed a 10-year contract with Formula One in 2018, betting on the sport’s glamour to reshape Hanoi’s staid image and reflect the country’s economic rise.
VinGroup, the country’s largest private conglomerate, had agreed to pay the fee in full, which would have cost Vietnam $60 million per year.
However, after the 2020 race was cancelled, the race was removed from the global calendar for 2021 after city mayor Nguyen Duc Chung, a major supporter of the Grand Prix, was arrested.
Chung received a ten-year prison sentence for corruption.
“The future of the race in Hanoi is bleak without Chung,” an unnamed source close to the race told AFP in 2020.
In June of last year, city officials, according to state media, ruled out hosting the race between 2022 and 2029.
Authorities, however, refused to confirm the news to AFP.
Hanoi was once again left off the 2023 race schedule, which was released last month.
Hanoi’s motor race circuit is largely closed to the public and littered with plastic waste, as hopes fade that Vietnam’s capital will ever host a Formula One Grand Prix.
The city was scheduled to make its F1 debut in 2020, but due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the inaugural Vietnamese Grand Prix was cancelled, and Hanoi has not appeared on the race calendar since.
Outside the metal fence, Hanoi’s ubiquitous motorbikes have already reclaimed the roads that were once designated as part of the 5.6-kilometer track.
A bleak future
In 2018, Vietnam signed a 10-year contract with Formula One, betting that the glamour of the sport would reshape Hanoi’s staid image and reflect the country’s economic rise.
The fee, which would have cost Vietnam $60 million per year, was to be paid in full by VinGroup, the country’s largest private conglomerate, which had hoped to dazzle with a night race.
However, following the cancellation of the 2020 race, the race was removed from the global calendar for 2021 when city mayor Nguyen Duc Chung, a major supporter of the Grand Prix, was arrested.
Chung was sentenced to ten years in prison for corruption.
“Without Chung, the future of the race in Hanoi is bleak,” an unnamed source close to the race told AFP in 2020.
According to state media, city officials ruled out hosting the race between 2022 and 2029 in June of last year.
However, authorities refused to confirm the news to AFP.
Hanoi was once again absent from the 2023 race schedule, which was announced last month.
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