Losail International Circuit

Motorsport track in Qatar

Lusail, Racing Under Qatar's Lights

Built for motorcycles north of Doha and known for its permanent floodlights, Lusail joined Formula One in 2021 and soon became a Max Verstappen stronghold.

In a desert, even the grass has to be arranged. The Lusail International Circuit, north of Doha on the edge of Lusail in Qatar, is ringed by artificial turf that keeps the sand from blowing onto the racing line. About 1,000 workers built it in just under a year for 58 million US dollars, and it opened in 2004 with the first Qatar motorcycle Grand Prix, won by Sete Gibernau. For most of its life Lusail was a motorcycle venue, also welcoming World Superbike, touring cars and the GP2 Asia series.

In 2007 the circuit installed permanent outdoor lighting for night racing, at the time the largest permanent sports lighting project anywhere, and in March 2008 it staged MotoGP's first ever night race.

Formula One arrived late in 2021, when the inaugural Qatar Grand Prix was the 20th round of the season and Lewis Hamilton won from pole for Mercedes. Before the race came back, the circuit was renovated, its facilities improved and its capacity raised from 8,000 to 52,000, a more than sixfold increase that says something about expectations. The current Grand Prix layout measures 5.419 kilometers, with a main straight of more than a kilometer, and Lando Norris set its race lap record in 2024.

Since then the race has belonged to Max Verstappen, who won for Red Bull in 2023, 2024 and 2025 and is the most successful driver here with three wins. Lusail has held 4 championship rounds so far, from 2021 to 2025, and the 2026 Qatar Grand Prix is scheduled for the 29th of November, after dark, naturally.

Every Grand Prix here

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