Next year, Vietnam’s capital, Hanoi, will join other Asian sites, such as Abu Dhabi, Bahrain, Azerbaijan, China, Japan and Singapore, as the host of a Formula 1 Grand Prix.
The 2020 F1 Vietnamese Grand Prix will take place on the Hanoi Street Circuit on a 3.45 mile (5.56 km) patch of road, and will last for 55 laps, covering just over 190 miles (306 km).
Now, if you’re curious what the track looks like from inside a Formula 1 car, then you might want to check out track designer Tilke’s simulator footage.
The opening section of the track resembles the first corners of the modern Nurburgring circuit, while the final sector (turns 16-19) is similar to the Esses at Suzuka.
“It is a very spectacular track,” said Tilke CEO Carsten Tilke in an interview with Autosport. “It combines a bit of what you can do at a classic track, like the Esses at Suzuka, which normally you cannot do at a street circuit, and also elements that you can only do at city venues.”
“It is very challenging to drive. I’ve driven it several times – it is fun but very hard to get a good lap together. And there are good overtaking points that I think will be good for the racing.”
The simulator is powered by the same engine behind the Assetto Corsa video game series and shows the track as it should look come 2020.
“Many people tried to model it after they saw the plans, but we have the current drawings and know where everything will be – where will be the Tecpro, where will be the bridges, and where will be the fences for example,” Tilke concluded.