Lewis Hamilton called out F1 bosses for adding one track to the calendar, now it’s a ‘ghost town’

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The 2020 Formula 1 calendar was decimated by the Covid-19 pandemic. The original plan was to hold races at 22 different venues, but 13 of those had to back out.

In the end, the sport’s bosses managed to hastily arrange a 17-race season that saw Lewis Hamilton seal his record-equalling seventh world championship. Initially scheduled for March, it didn’t begin until early July.

F1 teams had all travelled to Melbourne as normal as the virus spread globally, but the event slowly unravelled. In the end, it fell to the Red Bull Ring in Austria to hold back-to-back races and kick off the season four months later.

Silverstone also stepped up to hold two races, as did Bahrain (albeit on different layouts). The Nurburgring, Portimao, Imola and Istanbul Park were all unexpected additions to the calendar.

Vietnam Grand Prix circuit is now in a state of disrepair as F1 moves on

In the autumn of 2018, F1 announced that Vietnam had signed a multi-year deal to join the calendar. The street circuit in Hanoi would make its debut in 2020.

It was a move that split opinion, with Hamilton among the critics. In an interview with BBC Sport, he clarified that Vietnam was a ‘beautiful’ country, but he called for F1 to prioritise nations with ‘real racing history’.

He added: “I think connecting to cities where a lot of people are is probably a good thing, not necessarily going to countries where they don’t know so much about Formula 1.”

As it turned out, the pandemic forced the inaugural race to be cancelled, along with all the other city races on the calendar. Any hope of a delayed debut was foiled when the race’s leading advocate was imprisoned for separate corruption offences.

As reported by Auto Motor und Sport, the facility is now a ‘ghost town’. The areas surrounding the track are overgrown and the pit lane has been ‘exposed to the elements’.

Lewis Hamilton would love one circuit to return to the F1 calendar

It’s now almost certain that the Vietnam GP will never be held, certainly at the proposed venue. F1 boss Stefano Domenicali is committed to keeping the calendar at 24 races, and there are several other applicants ahead in the queue.

One of those is nearby Thailand, which has recently held talks with Domenicali. The proposed Bangkok race could fill the perceived gap in the Southeast Asian market.

Hamilton is a big fan of Istanbul Park, which also featured on the 2021 calendar after its emergency 2020 appearance. However, talk of F1 returning to Turkey has cooled.

Meanwhile, Hamilton called Mugello ‘amazing’ to drive, but a return to the Italian circuit doesn’t appear to be on the agenda. Imola is already at risk of falling off the calendar because Domenicali is struggling to justify two races in his homeland.