Cologne (dpa) - The TV station RTL will produce the live broadcast of the Formula 1 race in Vietnam entirely in Cologne. According to the RTL, the reason for this is the incalculable spread of the coronavirus and the "risks to the health of colleagues".
No employees will travel to Vietnam. The picture material is provided by the organizer. "We have a high level of responsibility for our employees," said RTL sports director Manfred Loppe in a message. "After reporting from Hanoi, the risks to their health appear to us to be too great after careful examination. We came to this decision after having queried numerous information points and the bottom line was that we did not receive a reliable assessment of the situation on site, in our view."
The Vietnam Grand Prix is the third race of the season. Hanoi is the first venue for Formula 1. According to the current status, the race should take place, although the city is only around 150 kilometers from the border with China. The Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai had been postponed to an unknown date later in the year due to the spread of the corona virus.
RTL