The Losail International Circuit or Lusail International Circuit (

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a 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. E.Watson; Walter ...

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

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 ...

, 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 count ...

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 ...

. 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, 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 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 The Yas Marina Circuit (Arabic: حلبة مرسى ياس) is the venue for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. The circuit was designed by Hermann Tilke, and is situated on Yas Island, near Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates. Yas Marina w ...

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 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 inaugural edition of the Qatar Grand Prix.

Lap records

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

Red Bull Racing Red Bull Racing, also simply known as Red Bull or RBR and currently competing as Oracle Red Bull Racing, is a Formula One racing team, racing under an Austrian licence and based in the United Kingdom. It is one of two Formula One teams owned ...

in the 2021 Qatar Grand Prix. 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 '' Qatar motorcycle Grand Prix'', Asia Talent Cup, Qatar Touring Car Championship, Gulf Radical Cup ; Future * FIA World Endurance Championship ''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, ...

'' Qatar Grand Prix'' (2021, 2023) ; Former * Asia Road Racing Championship (2010–2015) *

FIM Endurance World Championship The Endurance World Championship ( FIM EWC) is the premier worldwide endurance championship in motorcycle road racing. The championship season consists of a series of endurance races (with a duration of six, eight, twelve or twenty-four hours) h ...

''8 Hours of Doha'' (2007–2012) *

(2009) *

Grand Prix Masters Grand Prix Masters was a one-make motor racing series featuring retired Formula One drivers. The inaugural (and sole 2005) event, at the Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit in South Africa, took place on 11–13 November, but the series folded after a t ...

(2006) * Grand Prix motorcycle racing '' Doha motorcycle Grand Prix'' (2021) *

Motocross World Championship FIM Motocross World Championship is the premier championship of motocross racing, organized by the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM), divided into two distinct classes: MXGP and MX2. Race duration is 30 minutes plus two laps per ...

(2013–2017) * MRF Challenge Formula 2000 Championship (2014) * Speedcar Series (2009) *

Superbike World Championship Superbike World Championship (also known as WorldSBK, SBK, World Superbike, WSB, or WSBK) is a silhouette-class road racing series based on heavily modified production motorcycles, also known as superbike racing. The championship was founded i ...

(2005–2009, 2014–2019) *

World Touring Car Championship The FIA World Touring Car Championship was an international touring car championship promoted by Eurosport Events and sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). It has had several different incarnations, including a sin ...

FIA WTCC Race of Qatar The FIA WTCC Race of Qatar was a round of the World Touring Car Championship held at the Losail International Circuit located in Lusail, Qatar. The race made its debut in the World Touring Car Championship as the 12th round of the 2015 World Tour ...

'' (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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