The Qatar Grand Prix is a

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, ...

motor racing event which is held in

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 ...

. It was held for the first time on 21 November as part of the championship at the

Losail International Circuit 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. Built in just under a year by 1,000 workers ...

, and after not taking place during the season due to the

2022 FIFA World Cup The 2022 FIFA World Cup is an international association football, football tournament contested by the men's national teams of FIFA's member associations. The 22nd FIFA World Cup is taking place in Qatar from 20 November to 18 December 2022 ...

taking place in Qatar, it will rejoin the calendar in under a 10-year contract. The race was established as the fourth full night race on the Formula One calendar, following the

Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...

Bahrain Bahrain ( ; ; ar, البحرين, al-Bahrayn, locally ), officially the Kingdom of Bahrain, ' is an island country in Western Asia. It is situated on the Persian Gulf, and comprises a small archipelago made up of 50 natural islands and an ...

and

Sakhir Sakhir ( ) is a desert area located in the Southern Governorate of Bahrain, near Zallaq. It contains the Al-Sakhir Palace, built in 1870. Camping in Sakhir during the winter months is a popular activity in the country. Notable sites In the earl ...

Grands Prix.

History

Origin

The Formula One season was initially planned over 23 races. The opening round of the season, the

Australian Grand Prix The Australian Grand Prix is an annual motor racing event which is under contract to host Formula One until 2035. One of the oldest surviving motorsport competitions held in Australia, the Grand Prix has moved frequently with 23 different venu ...

, was initially postponed due to COVID-19 restrictions in the country before being cancelled. The cancellation of the Australian Grand Prix occurred late during the season and left a vacancy in the calendar, and the inaugural Qatar Grand Prix was announced as its replacement in October 2021.

2021

The inaugural edition of the Qatar Grand Prix took place on 21 November, in place of the cancelled Australian Grand Prix.

2023

After a one year absence in , due to the

to be staged in Qatar between November and December, the Qatar Grand Prix will return to the calendar on a 10-year contract from . A new purpose-built circuit was initially proposed for the 2023 race, before being retained in

Lusail Lusail ( ar, لوسيل, , ) is the second-largest city in Qatar, located on the coast, in the southern part of the municipality of Al Daayen. Lusail is located about north of the city centre of Doha, just north of the West Bay Lagoon, on over ...

Sportswashing criticism

The Grand Prix has received criticism from

Amnesty International Amnesty International (also referred to as Amnesty or AI) is an international non-governmental organization focused on human rights, with its headquarters in the United Kingdom. The organization says it has more than ten million members and sup ...

on the grounds of

human rights in Qatar The state of human rights in Qatar is a concern for several non-governmental organisations, such as Human Rights Watch, which reported in 2012 that hundreds of thousands of mostly South Asian migrant workers in construction in Qatar risk serio ...

Winners

By year

The Qatar Grand Prix was held at the

References

{{Formula One races Formula One Grands Prix 2021 establishments in Qatar Formula One controversies