Formula 1 motorsport director Ross Brawn remains confident the Vietnam Grand Prix will go ahead in April.
Attention is now turning to the new race, set to take place on a semi-permanent street circuit in Hanoi, following the postponement of the Chinese GP on Wednesday due to the ongoing Coronavirus outbreak.
It also emerged yesterday that an area just 30 miles from Vietnamese capital has been quarantined despite a relatively low number of cases, but there’s no expectation that a second race postponement will be necessary at this point.
“We are talking with the FIA, we are talking with the promoters and we’ve got some meetings this week to see if we can find a solution,” Brawn said initially to Reuters on the Chinese GP. “We are going to try to fit it in but it will be very tough.
“As for Vietnam all the feedback we are getting is rather like the UK, there have been some cases but not a level that would concern us.
“The advice we are getting is that it can go ahead there.”
Certainly, it would be a huge blow if Vietnam did have to postpone given the work that has gone into getting the new Hanoi circuit ready to host F1.
But the next week or so is set to be very important indeed.