After the cancellation of the Australian Grand Prix, there has been a vacant space in the November 19-21 section of the calendar, with a tug of war between different circuits taking place.
The Losail International Circuit in Qatar will host its first ever Formula 1 Grand Prix, running as the 20th round of the 2021 season – whilst shaking hands to an additional 10-year deal to host F1 from 2023.
2022 will see the circuit absent from the calendar due to the FIFA World Cup taking place in the nation.
Quite a scoop.
The circuit will be very familiar for ones who follow MotoGP, with the Qatari circuit hosting the pinnacle of two-wheels since 2004.
This addition will be the finale of a triple header, which see’s the Mexican and Brazilian Grand Prix’s just before. It creates a three-peat in the middle east for Formula 1, with the penultimate round in Saudi Arabia before the season finale round in Abu Dhabi.
Formula 1 have said: “There was a strong will from Qatar to be helpful to F1, and in the course of this process, the vision for a longer partnership was discussed and agreed for 10 years.
“The step from the gesture to be helpful to F1 in 2021 to a long term strategy was short and simple and the vision for F1 to be the showcase for Qatar after the FIFA World Cup in 2022 was the driving force behind this long term agreement.
“As part of the longer-term deal, discussions will continue regarding the location for the Grand Prix from 2023 with further details to be provided at a later time.”
The President of Qatar Motor & Motorcycle Federation, Abdulrahman Al-Mannai, said:
“This is a very special day for Qatar Motorsport and our nation’s ambitions as a host of major sporting events.
“I’m very proud that we’ve been able to support Formula 1 by stepping in and hosting a race in our country in such a short time frame, while also securing a ground-breaking long term deal with F1.
“This exciting agreement means that Qatar will be the home of both Formula 1 and MotoGP for the next decade, which are the pinnacle events in global motorsport.
“We have a proud motorsport history and this is the next chapter for us. Qatar will be a great destination for F1 and we look forward to welcoming all the drivers, teams, media and fans very soon.”
F1 President and CEO, Stefano Domenicali, has praised the Qatar Motor & Motorcycle Federation, or ‘QMMF’ for short, and the Qatari authorities in helping arrange such an event in little time.
“The Qatar Motor & Motorcycle Federation and Authorities have been incredible and have moved at great speed to ensure the race can take place this season at the Losail Circuit, famous to many as the host of MotoGP.
“We have shown that we can continue to adapt and there is huge interest in our sport and the hope from many locations to have a Grand Prix.
“The huge effort from all the teams, F1 and the FIA has made it possible to deliver a 22-race calendar, something that is very impressive during a challenging year and something we can all be proud of.”
The Motorsport Formula 