Lusail International Circuit

How it began

The circuit north of Doha was built in 2004, mainly for motorcycle racing: MotoGP has raced here since that same year, and in 2008 it became the first track in the motorcycle championship to host a night race under floodlights.

Formula 1 arrived in 2021, when the round was added to the calendar to replace cancelled races: Lewis Hamilton won on 21 November 2021, and Fernando Alonso finished third for his first podium since 2014. There was no race in 2022 because of the football World Cup, and since 2023 the Qatar Grand Prix has been held under a ten-year contract.

The track

The 5.419 km lap with sixteen corners is made up almost entirely of fast and medium-speed corners with no long slow sections, and the load on the tyres here is among the highest of the season. The race is held in the evening under floodlights.

The circuit was upgraded for 2023: it was resurfaced, the kerbs were replaced, and a new pit complex and grandstands were built. Sand blown in from the desert is a constant feature of the weekend.

Memorable races

On 7 October 2023 Max Verstappen became champion for the third time on the Saturday, on the strength of the sprint result; he won the race the next day as well. The heat and humidity left several drivers needing medical attention after the finish, and after kerb damage was found on the tyres, each set was limited to a stint of no more than eighteen laps.

On 1 December 2024 Verstappen won again, while Lando Norris was penalised for failing to slow down under yellow flags.

The 2026 season

The 2026 race is scheduled for 29 November, the penultimate round of the season before Abu Dhabi; the sprint, held here since 2023, is not part of this weekend’s programme. The season runs under the new rules: new power units with about half of their power coming from electricity, active aerodynamics and eleven teams — Cadillac joins the championship, and Sauber is taken over by Audi.