Hanoi F1 okay for now

UPDATE: Still no official announcement on the Hanoi F1 from the FIA. VTV has begun showing adverts for the Grand Prix. Given Vietnam’s robust response to coronavirus, the race may still happen.

I was going to write about the novel coronavirus threat to the forthcoming Hanoi Grand Prix today, but there are very little hard facts to go on from official sources.

What is clear is that China is shutting down all major sporting events. Football has already been put on hold and the planned Shanghai F1 has been rescheduled for April 18-19. The forthcoming E-Prix race in Hainan – scheduled for March 21 – has been scrubbed.

FIA, F1’s governing body, has confirmed it is keeping a close eye on the developing situation in China. However, this morning, Twitter feed, Formula Money has it that the China Grand Prix has been postponed and that the Vietnam event is now in the cross-hairs. None of this has been confirmed as yet by the FIA’s website, so it is undoubtedly nothing more than speculation and educated guesswork at the moment.

As far as the official Hanoi F1 website is concerned, it is business as usual in 58 days. Subject to change, of course, as the Vietnamese authorities take steps to contain the novel coronavirus.

• Catch up with all my ‘street-level’ quarantine reports on my portfolio page