Hanoi F1 race canceled as Covid-19 races ahead

Vietnam Grand Prix Limited Liability Company (VGPC) said Friday that it came to the decision in view of the continued global spread of novel coronavirus and after discussions with Formula One World Championship Ltd – the holder of copyrights and licenses for Formula 1, the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA), Hanoi People’s Committe and the Vietnamese Motorsports Association (VMA).

"VGPC will continue to work closely with Formula 1, the FIA, the Hanoi People’s Committee and the VMA to monitor the situation and will look to announce an alternative date and provide a further update for our ticket purchasers, sponsors and partners in due course," it saod.

The F1 race in Australia was canceled Friday morning and the one in Vietnam, set to happen in Hanoi's My Dinh area, has followed suit for the same reason.

A member of England’s racing team McLaren tested positive for the novel coronavirus Thursday, pushing the entire team into quarantine for two weeks.

The fourth F1 Grand Prix, scheduled for two weeks after the event in Vietnam, was also canceled on February 12.

Vietnam has recorded 31 new infections over the past week, according to the Health Ministry, after going 22 days with no new infections. Previously, all 16 Covid-19 patients had recovered and been discharged from hospitals.

The Covid-19 outbreak has thus far spread to 127 countries and territories, killing nearly 5,000 people.