Formula 1 is undoubtedly the most popular type of motorsport in the world, with millions of fans flocking to the many circuits that host events throughout the year to see high-speed thrills and revel in the glamour.
However, whilst there are 24 races taking place around the world during the Formula 1 season, one circuit designed for the motorsport have never seen an official race take place.
Located just outside the capital of Vietnam, the Hanoi Circuit was constructed prior to the 2020 season with plans to hold a Vietnamese Grand Prix.
However, the Covid pandemic caused the championship’s starting date to be pushed back from March, when many countries across the globe went into lockdown, to July.
As a result, the 22 planned Grand Prix events set to take place during the season had to be cut to just 17, with the race on the new Hanoi Circuit cancelled just 21 days before it was set to take place.
However, in November 2020, it was announced that the first Vietnamese Grand Prix would be cancelled once again, this time due to the arrest of a key organiser.
Nguyễn Đức Chung, the Hanoi People’s Committee Chairman who prominently pushed for the country to build a Formula 1 circuit, was arrested on charges of corruption.
Pleading guilty, Chung was sentenced to five years in prison, which increased to 10 in 2022 when he was convicted on two further charges.
However, whilst Hanoi Circuit has never seen a single Formula 1 event take place, it has been used very occasionally for private events.
During New Years Eve 2022, Honda used the track for a promotional event to showcase a number of the company’s performance products, such as the Civic Type R. A main straight of the track was also used for a parade during the Mobile Police Command’s Traditional Day in April 2024.
Some local residents with motorcycles have also unofficially broken into the premises to ride along the 3.5-mile track.
Whilst the Hanoi Circuit is one of a very small number of abandoned Formula 1 tracks, there are many race venues for other motorsports that currently lie derelict.
Here in the UK, one of the most famous abandoned race tracks is the Brooklands Motor Circuit. The world’s first purpose-build circuit for cars, Brooklands saw plenty of historic races take place from 1907 until it was heavily bombed during World War Two.
Another motorsport circuit that was left abandoned much more recently was Rockingham Motor Speedway near Corby, which first opened in 2001. Whilst the site was built to house more than 50,000 spectators, safety concerns that closed a number of grandstands meant that the site was difficult for visitors to attend, with the final race taking place in 2018.
Source link
