circuits

Losail International Circuit

Losail International Circuit

The Losail International Circuit made its Formula 1 debut in 2021. Located in Qatar, this circuit was built in 2004 by 1,000 workers. Since 2007, MotoGP has visited the Losail circuit. Due to the 2022 Qatar Football World Cup, F1 didn't visit the circuit in 2022 but the event returns from 2023 onwards. 

Losail International Circuit

The Losail International Circuit made its Formula 1 debut in 2021. Located in Qatar, this circuit was built in 2004 by 1,000 workers. Since 2007, MotoGP has visited the Losail circuit. Due to the 2022 Qatar Football World Cup, F1 didn't visit the circuit in 2022 but the event returns from 2023 onwards. 

This circuit is located about 20 kilometres north of the capital Doha. In 2004, this circuit was built within one year at a cost of approximately $58 million. The Losail circuit is 5.38 kilometres long and has 16 medium and high-speed corners. The straight is 1.048 kilometres long and features the only DRS zone.

A difficult circuit

The F1 drivers will once again race on a MotoGP track. In 2020, Formula 1 visited traditional MotoGP tracks with many short sharp turns, namely in Mugello. The difference with Mugello is that there are hardly any height differences on the Losail International Circuit. After the long straight there are ten right turns and six left turns. The middle sector features sharp bends that are linked together. 

Turns 12, 13 and 14 are very reminiscent of turn eight on the Istanbul circuit. In addition to the long straight, overtaking is a difficult task and there are large gravel traps next to the track. In addition, this circuit is located in the middle of the desert and there is a high chance of sand on the asphalt, which can be an extra challenge for Lewis Hamilton, Max Verstappen and the rest of the Formula 1 drivers. 

Lewis Hamilton is the first and, for now, only winner on the Qatar circuit. The Brit, who missed out on the 2021 world championship, experienced a turbulent free practice, but during qualifying, the Mercedes driver stood tall. With a time of 1:20:827, he stayed ahead of rival Verstappen and secured pole position. In the race, he maintained that position.