Vietnam circuit will provide 'plenty of overtaking options'
- Published on 03 May 2019 15:22
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- By: Fergal Walsh
The circuit that will host the maiden Vietnam Grand Prix next year will offer a wide range of opportunities to overtake, according to managing director of Tilke, Carsten Tilke.
Two-thirds of the track is being built through the streets of Hanoi, while the remaining section is being built from scratch.
The design of the circuit has been done in a way that allows cars to overtake, rather than just follow each other, which is often seen at Monaco - F1's most famous street race.
"There was a close co-operation with the team at Formula 1 and the organisers at Hanoi to design the circuit," Tilke told F1 Racing.
"They had a lot of input and we had many discussions about how we could create a good circuit, not only from a driving perspective but to offer a lot of overtaking too.
"Of course, we are fixed to some given streets – which are basically the straights – but through simulation tools we have been able to create the best track possible."
The Vietnam race is set to be held in April, with the official calendar to be signed off later this year.
Finding an efficient set up will be 'difficult'
Tilke added that he believes the circuit will provide a headache for teams to figure out the right set up due to the nature of the track.
"The whole track has a nice combination of fast corners and long straights, so it will be difficult to find a good set-up for the teams," he said.
"Our simulations have shown it will offer good racing and plenty of overtaking options. It will be difficult to get a good lap time as it will be very easy to make a mistake – so hopefully the drivers will like the challenge."
Construction set to start in Hanoi
Planning for the event is in the latter stages, and TIlke says that they will soon start the construction of the circuit and the paddock for it to be ready by the start of the 2020 season.
"The design and planning process is quite far down the line," said Tilke. "Almost everything is ready, but the construction has only just started.
"The ground-breaking ceremony was in late March and now we have to get a lot of machinery on site to get the process to build the venue underway.
"Although the calendar for 2020 hasn't been established yet, we have been given until the start of next season for Hanoi to be ready."
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Replies (7)
Login to replyRam Samartha
Posts: 1,172
Looks like a good one. Much rather go there than Malaysia.
calle.itw
Posts: 8,527
I wouldn't. since Malaysia tend to provide pretty good races, but it doesn't look half bad. Lord Jesus this track will benefit high power teams though.
Ram Samartha
Posts: 1,172
Having traveled to both I would prefer Vietnam any day. And the heat, Malaysia can be brutal. I kinda like these urban dragstrip tracks. Baku is a big success in my mind.
RogerF1
Posts: 501
Nope, sorry guys not a fan of circuits where pretty much the overtaking is who’s got the most power (your note Calle) and with standard brakes on the horizon it comes down to who can get down the runwayS the quickest, not particularly who can be outbraked. In any other motor sport this would be boring EXCEPT drag racing which is exactly not what F1 is supposed to be about. Where has agility gone? Killed by gross over aero, tyre deg providing more marbles than a child’s ball pen and a MASSIVE budget spread. There are fundamental problem with F1 if this is what it takes to provide overtaking. Hey ho, lets redesign Silverstone back to the aerodrome it used to be, take twisty bits out and retarmac the old runways - sorted. This Vietnam design is not the answer, sort the cars out and level the playing field so we don’t have a vehicle manufacturers marketing toy
calle.itw
Posts: 8,527
I would agree, however since this looks to be the closest to a proper track we might get in the coming future, we might have to settle for it. This to me isn't really about infatuation, it's about "well, okay, it'll do for now".
Ram Samartha
Posts: 1,172
It's about the spectacle. Racing purists will no doubt be disappointed with F1 in a the future.
calle.itw
Posts: 8,527
Mmm, you say that, yet I don't necessarily agree. Remember, older gens used to say that about present F1, yet I think 2017 was a great year, and 2018 was awesome. Things need to be amended, for sure, but the spectacle can be found here, and I still think purists like us have something of value to find here. They just need to tweak the right things, starting with increasing the allocations and making the ticket prices less luxurious.