Formula 1 will travel to Qatar for the first time this year, where its drivers will compete at the Losail International Circuit on November 19-21, series organizers announced Sept. 30.
The series season will end with three straight Middle Eastern trips, at Qatar, then the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix on Dec. 3-5, with the season finale at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on Dec. 10-12.
The Qatar course will then host F1 for 10 straight years beginning in 2023. Ooredoo, an international communications company, will serve as the race entitlement sponsor.
“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 series announced in a statement. “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.”
“This is a very special day for Qatar Motorsport and our nation’s ambitions as a host of major sporting events,” Abdulrahman Al-Mannai, president of Qatar Motor & Motorcycle Federation, said. “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.”
About the author
Mark Kristl joined Frontstretch at the beginning of the 2019 NASCAR season. He is the site's ARCA Menards Series editor. Kristl is also an Eagle Scout and a proud University of Dayton alum.
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