A look at Hanoi's new F1 street circuit

Formula 1 officially confirmed on Wednesday the arrival of Vietnam and the city of Hanoi on the F1 calendar in April 2020.

The country's capital will become F1's fourth street race thanks to a 22-turn, 5.5km circuit laid out by the sport's famous track designer, the inescapable Hermann Tilke.

Located in a western suburb of Hanoi in the vicinity of the My Dinh National Stadium aims "to create a unique hybrid layout, fusing a street circuit’s characteristics with a permanent countryside track layout", according to Formula1.com.

Tilke and his associates took much of their inspiration from renowned existing corners and sequences scattered all over the world at various F1 venues.

For instance, Turns 1 and 2 are modeled on the opening corners of the Nurburgring, while the run through Turns 16 and 19 should remember drivers of Suzuka's sweeping iconic Esses.

The layout's long straights should deliver some massive slipstreaming battles but also challenge teams they search for the right compromise between speed and downforce.

F1 race director Charlie Whiting visited the site ahead of this year's Japanese Grand Prix to offer his initial assessment on the design and work in progress.