Circuits
Round 22 · Qatar Grand Prix
Lusail International Circuit
Lusail International CircuitLusail, Qatar
5.419 km
Lap length
16
Corners
6 left, 10 right
Clockwise
Direction
—
F1 races held
first running
What makes it different
- Built for MotoGP in 2004, so the run-off is enormous and the kerbs are shallow - the aggressive kerb strategies that work elsewhere have nothing to bite on here.
- A sequence of medium and high-speed corners with almost no heavy braking, which puts sustained lateral load into the tyres and made tyre life the defining issue of its 2023 race.
- Desert sand blowing onto the circuit is a routine variable across the weekend.
- The circuit sits in Lusail City, the purpose-built development north of Doha whose 80,000-seat stadium hosted the 2022 FIFA World Cup final between Argentina and France.
Historic moments
2023 · The race drivers called torture
The 2023 race was run in such extreme heat that Logan Sargeant retired with heat exhaustion, Esteban Ocon vomited inside his helmet but kept racing to seventh, and several more drivers needed the medical centre afterwards - widely called one of the most physically brutal Grands Prix ever run.
2021 · Verstappen's penalty hands Hamilton the win
Max Verstappen was hit with a five-place grid penalty for the inaugural Qatar Grand Prix after failing to slow for waved yellow flags in qualifying, dropping him from a front-row time to seventh on the grid. Lewis Hamilton converted pole into victory, cutting Verstappen's championship lead to eight points with two rounds left in their title fight.
Qatar Grand Prix coverage
No coverage is tagged to the Qatar Grand Prix yet - stories are matched to a round while the weekend is running, so this fills in from practice onwards.
The Qatar Grand Prix preview has the session times and what to watch for, and the standings show where the season sits.