The Losail International Circuit or Lusail International Circuit (Arabic: حلبة لوسيل الدولية) is a motor racing circuit located just outside the city of Lusail, north of Doha, Qatar.
 | |
| Location | Lusail, Al Daayen, Qatar |
|---|---|
| Time zone | UTC+03:00 |
| Coordinates | 25°29′24″N 51°27′15″E / 25.49000°N 51.45417°ECoordinates: 25°29′24″N 51°27′15″E / 25.49000°N 51.45417°E |
| Capacity | 8,000 |
| FIA Grade | 1[1] |
| Broke ground | 2003 |
| Opened | 30 September 2004 |
| Construction cost | US$58 million |
| Major events | Current: Formula One Qatar Grand Prix (2021, 2023) Grand Prix motorcycle racing Qatar motorcycle Grand Prix (2004–present) Doha motorcycle Grand Prix (2021) Future: FIA World Endurance Championship 6 Hours of Qatar (2024) Former: World SBK (2005–2009, 2014–2019) WTCC Race of Qatar (2015–2017) FIM EWC 8 Hours of Doha (2007–2012) Motocross World Championship (2013–2017) GP2 Asia (2009) |
| Grand Prix Circuit (2004–present) | |
| Length | 5.380 km (3.343 miles) |
| Turns | 16 |
| Race lap record | 1:23.196 ( Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing RB16B, 2021, F1) |
| Website | www |
Built in just under a year by 1,000 workers at the cost of US$58 million, the track opened in 2004, named Losail International Circuit, to the inaugural 2004 Qatar motorcycle Grand Prix, won by Sete Gibernau.[2]
The track is 5.380 km (3.343 mi) in length, with a main straight of 1.068 km (0.664 mi). It is surrounded by artificial grass to stop the sand encroaching on the track.
In 2007, Lusail added permanent outdoor lighting for night races. At the time, the lighting of the Lusail Circuit by Musco Lighting was the largest permanent venue sports lighting project in the world, a distinction that now belongs to another Persian Gulf motorsport venue, Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi. The first night race in MotoGP history was the 2008 Qatar motorcycle Grand Prix in March 2008.
In February 2009, a GP2 Asia Series nighttime race took place. The World SBK visited Losail in 2005–2009 and 2014–2019; and the WTCC visited there in 2015–2017.
The circuit hosted the 20th race of the 2021 Formula One season, the inaugural edition of the Qatar Grand Prix.[3]
Lap recordsEdit
The official lap record for the current circuit layout is 1:23.196, set by Max Verstappen driving for Red Bull Racing in the 2021 Qatar Grand Prix. The official race lap records at the Lusail International Circuit are listed as:
EventsEdit
- Current
- October: Formula One Qatar Grand Prix
- November: Grand Prix motorcycle racing Qatar motorcycle Grand Prix, Asia Talent Cup
- Future
- FIA World Endurance Championship 6 Hours of Qatar (2024)
- Former
- Asia Road Racing Championship (2010–2015)
- FIM Endurance World Championship 8 Hours of Doha (2007–2012)
- GP2 Asia Series (2009)
- Grand Prix Masters (2006)
- Grand Prix motorcycle racing Doha motorcycle Grand Prix (2021)
- Motocross World Championship (2013–2017)
- MRF Challenge Formula 2000 Championship (2014)
- Porsche GT3 Middle East Championship (2012–2015)
- Speedcar Series (2009)
- Superbike World Championship (2005–2009, 2014–2019)
- World Touring Car Championship FIA WTCC Race of Qatar (2015–2017)
Racing historyEdit
Formula OneEdit
| Year | Winning driver | Winning team |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 |  Lewis Hamilton
|
 Mercedes
|
MotoGPEdit
Superbike World ChampionshipEdit
World Touring Car ChampionshipEdit
| Year | Race | Winning driver | Winning team |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Race 1 |  José María López
|
 Citroën Total WTCC
|
| Race 2 | Yvan Muller
|
Citroën Total WTCC
| |
| 2016 | Race 1 |  Gabriele Tarquini
|
 Lada Sport Rosneft
|
| Race 2 |  Mehdi Bennani
|
Sébastien Loeb Racing
| |
| 2017 | Race 1 | Tom Chilton
|
Sébastien Loeb Racing
|
| Race 2 | Esteban Guerrieri
|
 Honda Racing Team JAS
|
Motocross World ChampionshipEdit
| Year | Race | MX1 | MX2 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Race 1 |  Clément Desalle
|
Jeffrey Herlings
| |
| Race 2 | Tony Cairoli
|
Jeffrey Herlings
| ||
| Year | Race | MXGP | MX2 | |
| 2014 | Race 1 | Maximilian Nagl
|
Dylan Ferrandis
| |
| Race 2 | Gautier Paulin
|
Jeffrey Herlings
| ||
| 2015 | Race 1 | Maximilian Nagl
|
Jeffrey Herlings
| |
| Race 2 | Maximilian Nagl
|
Jeffrey Herlings
|
WMX | |
| 2016 | Race 1 |  Tim Gajser
|
Jeffrey Herlings
|
 Courtney Duncan
|
| Race 2 | Tim Gajser
|
Jeffrey Herlings
|
Courtney Duncan
| |
| 2017 | Race 1 | Tony Cairoli
|
 Pauls Jonass
|
|
| Race 2 | Tony Cairoli
|
Pauls Jonass
|
Speedcar SeriesEdit
| Year | Race | Winning driver | Winning team |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Race 1 | Gianni Morbidelli
|
 Palm Beach
|
| Race 2 | Vitantonio Liuzzi
|
 Union Properties
|
GP2 AsiaEdit
| Year | Race | Winning driver | Winning team |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Race 1 | Nico Hülkenberg
|
ART Grand Prix
|
| Race 2 |  Sergio Pérez
|
 Barwa International Campos
|
ReferencesEdit
- ^ Barretto, Lawrence (2021-09-30). "Everything you need to know about the inaugural Qatar Grand Prix". Formula1.com. Retrieved 2021-10-02.
- ^ "Losail International Circuit". RacingCircuits.info. Retrieved 2020-07-16.
- ^ "F1 to hold first Qatar Grand Prix at Losail this November". Motor Sport Magazine. 2021-09-30. Retrieved 2021-09-30.
- ^ "Qatar Grand Prix 2021". Formula1.com. Retrieved 7 March 2022.
- ^ "Lusail International Circuit, Qatar 2009 - GP2 Asia results". autoevolution.com. Archived from the original on 16 September 2011.
- ^ "2006 Losail Grand Prix Masters". Retrieved 20 April 2022.
- ^ "World Superbike Motul Qatar Round, 24-26 October 2019 Results Tissot Superpole Race" (PDF). Retrieved 16 June 2022.
- ^ "Qatar Superbike1-QCH1-MRF Challenge 17th Friday October QSBK-1 QCH-1-MRF Challenge - MRF Challenge Race-2". Retrieved 14 January 2023.
- ^ "QCH R5-Porsche G3 CUP-Radical Car Feb.6,2015- QCH4-GT3 Cup-Radical Car - GT3 Cup Race 2". Retrieved 14 January 2023.
- ^ "WTCC 2015 » Losail International Circuit Round 23 Results". Retrieved 16 June 2022.
- ^ "Qatar Round, 2-3-4 November 2017 World Supersport - Results Race" (PDF). Retrieved 16 June 2022.
- ^ "2009 Losail Speedcar - Round 5". Retrieved 19 July 2022.
- ^ "Motul Qatar Round, 24-26 October 2019 Race Results" (PDF). Retrieved 22 May 2021.
- ^ "Asia Road Racing Championship Saturday 3rd October 2015 Asian Production 250 CC Race 2 Race (9 Laps) started at 21:30:53". Retrieved 14 January 2023.
- ^ "2014 Asia Road Racing Championship Round 6 Losail International Circuit, Qatar December 14, 2014 Underbone 130cc Race 1" (PDF). Retrieved 14 January 2023.
External linksEdit
