F1 News
Confirmed: Inaugural Vietnam Grand Prix will NOT be postponed
- Nicolás Quarles van Ufford
The inaugural Vietnam Grand Prix has been confirmed to still go ahead on its planned date of April 5th, the organisers of the event have confirmed, despite concerns of the coronavirus outbreak having threatened the race.
The Chinese Grand Prix, which was scheduled to take place two weeks after the race in Hanoi, has already been postponed due to the virus' outbreak, with the death toll having almost reached 2,000 in China with tens of thousands infected.
The World Health Organisation has declared the virus a public health emergency a few weeks ago, and while all sporting events in China have been cancelled for the foreseeable future, the organisers in Hanoi see no reason for their event to be postponed as well.
"The time for the F1 race will not be postponed or delayed," AFP quoted Hanoi's tourism deputy director Tran Trung Hieu.
"Although this is a sports event, it has a very huge impact on Vietnam and Hanoi's tourism."
The (semi) street race in Hanoi is the 22nd race added to the F1 calendar and is the last Grand Prix before the European tour, with a month-long gap between it and the Dutch Grand Prix because of the Chinese Grand Prix's postponement.