First canceled due to the pandemic restrictions, then canceled due to corruption investigations, the Hanoi Grand Prix has never seen the light of day, although the contract had already been signed. In recent days, Vietnam, together with South Africa, has come back to knock on the door of Formula 1: the goal – for both – seems to be to find a place on the calendar for the 2024 Formula 1 championship.
The Vietnamese newspaper VietnamExpress reported this information, confirming that the goal of Formula 1 chief executive officer Stefano Domenicali would be to increase the number of races per season up to “at least 25”.
Stefano Domenicali was to have a meeting with Vietnamese authorities before the Melbourne weekend. “The chances of seeing a Vietnam Grand Prix have suddenly increased with the news of Stefano Domenicali’s visit to Hanoi before arriving in Australia,” writes VietnamExpress.
The Vietnamese newspaper reports that the local authorities have not yet expressed their opinion: “The Popular Committee of Hanoi has yet to confirm the news”, they added. There were also updates on the status of the infrastructure: “At the moment, most of it has been dismantled and land amounting to 300,000 square meters has been returned by the Vietnam Grand Prix Corporation to the Department of Culture and Sports in Hanoi.”
What do we know about Formula 1’s return to South Africa?
Changing latitude and flying to South Africa, GrandPrix.com reveals: “Local sources have stated that, given the failure of private investors to negotiate for 2023, the Pretoria government has decided to start the negotiations in person, already paying 50 million, out of a total cost that could increase to 250 million.”
The only obstacle appears to be the homologation of the circuit: “It seems that the safety of the last corner is the last issue. It will require some work to allow the FIA to homologate the track.”
Leave a Reply