Tilke: Hanoi circuit to offer 'plenty of overtaking opportunities'

©Tilke

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Vietnam's future Grand Prix street circuit in Hanoi will offer drivers plenty of overtaking opportunities while teams will face set-up challenges says track designer Carsten Tilke.

The Southeast Asian country will appear on Formula 1's schedule in April of next year and construction work in Hanoi is now underway.

Two-thirds of the venue's 5.56km layout will be built from scratch while the remaining part will be made up of existing roads located near the city's My Dinh stadium.

A first onboard view of Vietnam's street circuit in Hanoi!

"There was a close co-operation with the team at Formula 1 and the organisers at Hanoi to design the circuit," Tilke - the son of well-known circuit designer Hermann 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."

Tilke insists the new track will provide a whole range of difficulties for both drivers and teams, but won't be short on overtaking opportunities.

"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 added.

"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."

In addition to Hanoi's track, a necessary amount of infrastructure work shall also be undertaken, with build-up plans currently on schedule.

"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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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.