Qatar Grand Prix: track and statistics

Qatar is an emirate in the Middle East in the northeastern part of the Arabian Peninsula. Borders with Saudi Arabia. Almost the entire territory of the country is desert. The climate is continental tropical, dry. The time zone is GMT+3, just like in Moscow.

The Losail International Circuit, located near the capital Doha, was completed within a year. To meet the deadline, a thousand employees worked around the clock – the opening of the circuit and the first race took place on October 2, 2004.

The cost of the original project was $ 58 million, but in 2007 an artificial lighting system was installed on the circuit, which for some time was considered the largest, but then the system at the Yas Marina circuit in Abu Dhabi became so.

Losail is home to motorcyclists. The stage in Qatar has been on the MotoGP calendar since 2004 and on the Superbike World Championship since 2005. The first competition involving open-wheel cars took place in 2009, when the circuit hosted the GP2Asia “winter series”.

In 2021, Formula 1 came to Losail, the stage took place in an exciting and interesting end to the season, which decided the fate of the championship title.

The race in Qatar is the third stage in the Middle East on the seasonal calendar. The main sessions of the weekend start after sunset and are held under artificial lighting. In the seasonal calendar this is the sixth and final stage with a sprint on Saturday.

Talks of Qatar wanting to host the first tests and then the Formula 1 Grand Prix began in 2008, when a modernization project was developed to bring the circuit into line with FIA requirements. To demonstrate the seriousness of their plans, the organizers held the GP2 Asia podium, but then the talk was halted for political reasons – due to the proximity to the Bahrain Grand Prix and inevitable comparisons.

When unrest began in Bahrain in 2012, Qatar started talking about Formula 1 again, even building a new circuit more suitable for open-wheel cars.

The contract with Formula 1 was signed in September 2021 – and immediately for ten years. They decided not to hold the race in 2022 – Qatar hosted the World Cup and the contract period started counting in 2023.

There will be no champagne during the awards ceremony; the organizers provide non-alcoholic soft drinks for the riders on the podium.

Characteristics of the trajectory

Losail is a narrow high-speed circuit designed for motorcycle racing, with predominantly fast and medium-speed corners. Only in one bend, turn six, does the minimum speed drop below 100 km/h. There is no serious braking on the track – this is its unique feature.

It is difficult to overtake in wide Formula 1 cars with sensitive aerodynamics. The only suitable area to fight for position is the kilometer-long straight with one DRS zone.

The kilometer-long straight stretch is supplemented with sixteen interconnecting fast corners, where the tires work intensively and wear out quickly. The teams will have to find the traditional compromise between downforce and speed.

The series of 12-14 corners has a triple apex, essentially one tight right-handed corner, a bit like the famous Turn 8 in Turkey, but turned in a different direction.

Before the 2023 round, organizers increased grandstand capacity, expanded parking, fan and VIP areas, including the Formula 1 paddock club. The paddock, medical center and media center were renovated and the number of boxes was increased. New mesh safety barriers from Swiss company Geobrugg have been installed along the circuit, which meet FIA Grade 1 standards and provide good visibility from the stands.

Weekend schedule

You can follow the progress of all Formula 1 sessions on our live broadcast page.

Tire kits issued to teams for the weekend

In Qatar, for the sixth and final time this year, teams will be given three ‘hard’ compositions: C1, C2 and C3 as Hard, Medium and Soft.

Performance of current riders in Qatar

Max Verstappen: “This track is fun to race on, but it will be a difficult weekend for all of us due to the warm weather. High temperatures will be a key factor.

The weekend will be held in a format with a Saturday sprint, so it is important to get as much information as possible in one training session.”