The Losail International Circuit or Lusail International Circuit (

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic languages, Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C ...

: حلبة لوسيل الدولية) is a motor racing circuit located just outside the city of Lusail, north of

Doha Doha ( ar, الدوحة, ad-Dawḥa or ''ad-Dōḥa'') is the capital city and main financial hub of Qatar. Located on the Persian Gulf coast in the east of the country, north of Al Wakrah and south of Al Khor, it is home to most of the coun ...

Qatar Qatar (, ; ar, قطر, Qaṭar ; local vernacular pronunciation: ), officially the State of Qatar,) is a country in Western Asia. It occupies the Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it sh ...

. Built in just under a year by 1,000 workers at the cost of million, the track opened in 2004, named Losail International Circuit, to the inaugural

2004 Qatar motorcycle Grand Prix The 2004 Qatar motorcycle Grand Prix was the thirteenth round of the 2004 MotoGP Championship. It took place on the weekend of 30 September-2 October 2004 at the Losail International Circuit. It was the first running of the event. This would be ...

, won by

Sete Gibernau Manuel "Sete" Gibernau Bultó (born 15 December 1972) is a Spanish former professional Grand Prix motorcycle road racer who is a 9-time 500cc/MotoGP race winner and a two-time overall runner-up in and . His racing career spans three different ...

. The track is in length, with a main straight of . 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 Musco Lighting is a privately owned American company that specializes in design, manufacture of sports and large area lighting systems. Based out of Oskaloosa, Iowa, Musco is responsible for lighting a full range of sports facilities, from Dayton ...

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 Abu Dhabi (, ; ar, أَبُو ظَبْيٍ ' ) is the capital and second-most populous city (after Dubai) of the United Arab Emirates. It is also the capital of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi and the centre of the Abu Dhabi Metropolitan Area. ...

. The first night race in

MotoGP Grand Prix motorcycle racing is the premier class of motorcycle road racing events held on road circuits sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM). Independent motorcycle racing events have been held since the start ...

history was the

2008 Qatar motorcycle Grand Prix The 2008 Qatar motorcycle Grand Prix was the opening round of the 2008 MotoGP championship. It took place on the weekend of 7–9 March 2008 at the Losail International Circuit located in Doha, Qatar. The race was historic in that it was the firs ...

in March 2008. In February

2009 File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; 2009 Iran ...

, a

GP2 Asia Series The GP2 Asia Series was a form of open wheel motor racing as a result of a spin-off from the GP2 series. The series was officially announced during the weekend of the 2007 Monaco Grand Prix. GP2 series organiser Bruno Michel commented that "It ...

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 2021 FIA Formula One World Championship was a List of motorsport championships, motor racing championship for Formula One cars which was the 72nd running of the Formula One World Championship. It is recognised by the Fédération Internatio ...

, the inaugural edition of the

Qatar Grand Prix The Qatar Grand Prix is a Formula One motor racing event which is held in Qatar. It was held for the first time on 21 November as part of the championship at the Losail International Circuit, and after not taking place during the season due to ...

Lap records

The official lap record for the current circuit layout is 1:23.196, set by

Max Verstappen Max Emilian Verstappen (; born 30 September 1997) is a Belgian-Dutch Auto racing, racing driver and the 2021 Formula One World Championship, 2021 and 2022 Formula One World Championship, 2022 Formula One World Champion. He Formula One drivers ...

driving for Red Bull Racing in the

2021 Qatar Grand Prix The 2021 Qatar Grand Prix (officially known as the Formula 1 Ooredoo Qatar Grand Prix 2021) was a Formula One motor race, held on 21 November 2021 at the Losail International Circuit in Qatar. The inaugural Qatar Grand Prix, it was the 20th ro ...

. The official race lap records at the Lusail International Circuit are listed as:

Events

; Current * January: Qatar Touring Car Championship * February: Qatar Touring Car Championship * March:

Grand Prix motorcycle racing Grand Prix motorcycle racing is the premier class of motorcycle road racing events held on road circuits sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM). Independent motorcycle racing events have been held since the start ...

Qatar motorcycle Grand Prix The Qatar motorcycle Grand Prix ( ar, جائزة قطر الكبرى للدراجات النارية) is a motorcycling event that is part of the FIM Grand Prix motorcycle racing season. The Losail race track in Qatar represents the debut race o ...

'',

Asia Talent Cup Asia Talent Cup is a motorcycle road racing competition intended for young participants in Asia and Oceania. This competition is organized by Dorna, which also controls Grand Prix motorcycle racing and Superbike World Championship. The Asia Tal ...

, Qatar Touring Car Championship, Gulf Radical Cup ; Future *

FIA World Endurance Championship The FIA World Endurance Championship is an auto racing world championship organized by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO) and sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The series supersedes the ACO's former Intercont ...

''6 Hours of Qatar'' (2024) *

Formula One Formula One (also known as Formula 1 or F1) is the highest class of international racing for open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The World Drivers' Championship, ...

'' (2021, 2023) ; Former *

Asia Road Racing Championship The FIM Asia Road Racing Championship (known as Idemitsu FIM Asia Road Racing Championship for sponsorship reason) is the regional motorcycle road racing championship for Asia, held since 1996. This championship is part of the production-based ca ...

(2010–2015) * FIM Endurance World Championship ''8 Hours of Doha'' (2007–2012) *

(2009) * Grand Prix Masters (2006) *

Doha motorcycle Grand Prix The 2021 Doha motorcycle Grand Prix (officially known as the Tissot Grand Prix of Doha) was the second round of the 2021 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season. It was added to the calendar as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was held at the L ...

'' (2021) * Motocross World Championship (2013–2017) * MRF Challenge Formula 2000 Championship (2014) * Speedcar Series (2009) * Superbike World Championship (2005–2009, 2014–2019) * World Touring Car Championship '' FIA WTCC Race of Qatar'' (2015–2017)

Racing history

Formula One

MotoGP

Superbike World Championship

World Touring Car Championship

Motocross World Championship

Speedcar Series

GP2 Asia

References

External links

Official websiteTrackpedia's guide to driving the Losail International Circuit

Google maps satellite view of Losail International Circuit
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