Vietnam GP on as scheduled, say race officials

The Vietnam Grand Prix is set to go ahead as planned despite doubts about its place on the 2020 Formula 1 calendar due to the outbreak of the deadly coronavirus.

The virus originated in China but has spread globally, especially in the last week or so, with 80,000 reports of infection having been confirmed around the world so far.

A Formula E race in China has already been cancelled, while there is indeed major doubts about whether the Olympics in Japan and the European Football Championships will take place.

South Korea has the biggest amount of infections outside of China, and with the coronavirus moving quickly through Asia, worries circulated that a GP race in Vietnam could present a threat to the F1 community.

According to the CEO of the Vietnam Grand Prix Corporation, however, it is still on.

Ferrari take measures to combat coronavirus outbreak in ItalyRead more

"Preparations for the race are going according to the set schedule,” Le Ngoc Chi said on Wednesday.

“The F1 race in Hanoi in 2020 will take place as planned. We are of course monitoring the situation closely and will notify customers and media should there be any changes."

Ferrari, in an attempt to combat an outbreak in Italy, have minimised travel for their employees and also closed public tours of their musuem in Maranello.

Bahrain, which is set to hold the second Grand Prix of the season, has suspended all flights from Dubai which would present a stopover for F1 teams before the race.

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