The abandoned Formula One track in Hanoi, which cost a staggering £540 million to build, has never hosted a race. Construction was completed in February 2020, with the inaugural Vietnam Grand Prix scheduled for later that year, but the Covid-19 pandemic forced its cancellation.
Organisers hoped to hold the race in 2021, but that date also passed without a Grand Prix. The project suffered a further blow in November 2020 when city mayor Nguyen Duc Chung, who had championed the race, was sentenced to five years in prison for corruption. He later received additional charges, bringing his total sentence to ten years.
The 5.6-kilometre circuit, designed by Hermann Tilke, was part street track and part permanent venue, featuring 23 corners. Despite its abandonment, fans can experience the circuit virtually in the F1 2020 video game by Codemasters, which scanned a version of the design.
Former F1 chief Chase Carey had expressed confidence that the track would be ready for a 2021 Grand Prix, stating that agreements would be honoured. However, the Vietnamese government prioritised the country's recovery from the pandemic and approaching elections, leaving the circuit eerily unused.
Today, the Hanoi Circuit joins other 'what if' tracks in motorsport history, such as the Korea International Circuit, as a meticulously built venue that never realised its racing potential.
