F1 drops Vietnam from record 23-race 2021 calendar

FILE PHOTO: Men wearing protective masks walk past a F1 official souvenir shop in Hanoi, Vietnam March 9, 2020. REUTERS/Kham

LONDON (Reuters) - The Vietnamese Grand Prix was absent from a draft 2021 calendar published by Formula One on Tuesday that featured a record 23 rounds, with a debut in Saudi Arabia and Brazil returning despite fears for that race's future.

Vietnam was due to host a street race in Hanoi for the first time last April, but that was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.