Hanoi Circuit in profile

South-East Asia is no stranger when it comes to Formula 1 - but 2020 will be the first year the sport stages a race in Vietnam. And there's every reason to believe Hanoi will serve up a cracker.

Although technically a street race, the Hanoi Circuit - based on the outskirts of the historical city - actually fuses public roads with permanent sections of a track, which has been designed by the famous Hermann Tilke.

It takes inspiration from several other tracks - such as Nurburgring for the opening corners, Monaco's Massenet for turns 12 to 15 and even the Suzuka Esses towards the end of the lap. That means Hanoi should present drivers several different challenges with its low and high-speed corners.

It also features two huge straights, including one which will be the second-longest on the calendar behind Baku's - another street venue with a similar layout which has hosted some memorable races over the years. There's a hope that Vietnam will feature similar overtaking opportunities.

"We made a lot of simulations to simulate overtaking and good racing," explained Tilke. "Turn 1 offers a great opportunity for overtaking, while there's a hotspot for passing after the long straight that leads into the hairpin."

There are 23 corners after a slight redesign to the end of the lap, bringing Hanoi on a par with Singapore with its amount of turns. And we know how much of a physical challenge Marina Bay is for drivers.

The inaugural Vietnam GP is the third race of the 2020 season - taking place on April 5. Every session will be live on Sky Sports F1.