Vietnam F1 Grand Prix scrapped indefinitely after arrest of official
Vietnam’s inaugural Formula One Grand Prix has been dropped from the Formula One calendar 2021, various media outlets reported.
The surprising decision was made by race organiser and brand owner Liberty Media after a Vietnamese key official has been arrested on charges of corruption back in August.
Even though the arrest of Nguyen Duc Chung, former Hanoi mayor, Hanoi People’s Committee chairman and major supporter of the Grand Prix, is apparently unrelated to the sports event, Formula One decided against staging the race.
Nguyen Duc Chung was officially arrested for alleged appropriation of documents containing state secrets.
However, he was the key figure in promoting the race and championed it with Vietnam’s national government. His absence has led to a vacuum and Vietnamese authorities have told Formula One that the government now has other priorities, including key elections, the pandemic and recovery from a devastating typhoon.
Talks are ongoing with regard to a possible race in Vietnam in 2022, but the current situation raises doubts whether the race will ever take place despite millions of dollars invested in a new racetrack in Hanoi.
No information if the Vietnam Grand Prix will ever happen
There has been no word from Vietnamese authorities on whether or when the race, postponed from April this year and then cancelled because of the coronavirus, would take place.
Chung was suspended as mayor two weeks before his arrest. The one-time director of Hanoi’s police department was appointed chairman of the Hanoi People’s Committee in 2015. Three others including his driver were arrested in the case.
Originally, Vietnam signed a ten-year deal with Formula One in 2018. State media said it would cost the country $60 million per year. The fee has been picked up in full by the country’s largest private conglomerate, VinGroup, which had been hoping to impress with a night race.
The new F1 race track in Hanoi sits idle Vietnam's inaugural Formula One Grand Prix has been dropped from the Formula One calendar 2021, various media outlets reported. The surprising decision was made by race organiser and brand owner Liberty Media after a Vietnamese key official has been arrested on charges of corruption back in August. Even though the arrest of Nguyen Duc Chung, former Hanoi mayor, Hanoi People's Committee chairman and major supporter of the Grand Prix, is apparently unrelated to the sports event, Formula One decided against staging the race. Nguyen Duc Chung was officially arrested for alleged...
Vietnam’s inaugural Formula One Grand Prix has been dropped from the Formula One calendar 2021, various media outlets reported.
The surprising decision was made by race organiser and brand owner Liberty Media after a Vietnamese key official has been arrested on charges of corruption back in August.
Even though the arrest of Nguyen Duc Chung, former Hanoi mayor, Hanoi People’s Committee chairman and major supporter of the Grand Prix, is apparently unrelated to the sports event, Formula One decided against staging the race.
Nguyen Duc Chung was officially arrested for alleged appropriation of documents containing state secrets.
However, he was the key figure in promoting the race and championed it with Vietnam’s national government. His absence has led to a vacuum and Vietnamese authorities have told Formula One that the government now has other priorities, including key elections, the pandemic and recovery from a devastating typhoon.
Talks are ongoing with regard to a possible race in Vietnam in 2022, but the current situation raises doubts whether the race will ever take place despite millions of dollars invested in a new racetrack in Hanoi.
No information if the Vietnam Grand Prix will ever happen
There has been no word from Vietnamese authorities on whether or when the race, postponed from April this year and then cancelled because of the coronavirus, would take place.
Chung was suspended as mayor two weeks before his arrest. The one-time director of Hanoi’s police department was appointed chairman of the Hanoi People’s Committee in 2015. Three others including his driver were arrested in the case.
Originally, Vietnam signed a ten-year deal with Formula One in 2018. State media said it would cost the country $60 million per year. The fee has been picked up in full by the country’s largest private conglomerate, VinGroup, which had been hoping to impress with a night race.
