Formula 1's owners Liberty Media are interested in bringing a Grand Prix to Vietnam. According to The Sun, Liberty recently flew to Vietnam to explore the possibility of hosting a race in Ho Chi Minh City. Earlier this year, former F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone revealed he rejected plans to add a Vietnamese Grand Prix to the calendar.

However, Liberty Media sees a real opportunity for Vietnam and consider a race there an alternative to Malaysia, which will drop off the F1 schedule at the end of the season. Negotiations are still in the infant stages, but F1 sponsor Heineken believes that a race is Vietnam is entirely possible.

"That is very simple - it is again in Asia: Vietnam," said Senior Global Brand Director, Gianluca Di Tondo said when asked where he would like to see F1 next. "We are very present in Vietnam through a local partner and they were our guests in Monza and they were over the moon. So why not have a race in Ho Chi Minh City?"

Ecclestone was fully against the idea: "It hasn't got any racing history at all. So I didn't want to put another race in the same sort of area where we already have very good promoters. And I was criticised for putting the races in Baku and in Russia because they hadn't got that much racing history."

Fergal Walsh