Qatar soon on the F1 calendar?

As Formula 1 will have a new destination this season with South Korea, new exotic countries could make their appearance in the small world of Formula 1.

And it is Qatar that could thus become a new host country, joining Bahrain and Abu Dhabi in the circle of Middle Eastern countries hosting a Formula 1 Grand Prix.

Indeed, the Losail circuit, already an organizer of Moto GP races, has just launched renovation work with the aim of hosting a Formula 1 Grand Prix in the future.

« Formula 1 is part of our future plans, » announces Nasser bin Khalifa al Attyaha, the president of the Qatar Motorcycle and Automobile Federation. « Once everything is in place, the track will be evaluated by the safety commissioner and then the track will be approved for official Formula 1 testing. After that, we will be ready to be part of the Formula 1 world. »

And this should happen very quickly because as soon as the Bahrain Grand Prix ends, Charlie Whiting is expected to fly to Qatar to conduct various inspections:

« We will do what Charlie Whiting asks of us. We will meet all the F1 requirements to host a race. »

On the Administrative and Commercial side, Qatar has already received the green light from the FIA and Jean Todt during his visit to the Arab emirate, on the eve of the opening of the Formula 1 season:

« It is easy for Qatar to host an F1 race. It is a commercial matter that needs to be resolved by Formula 1 through FOM and local organizers. We already have two Formula 1 races (Bahrain and Abu Dhabi) in the Middle East, an addition of Qatar would be welcome. »