Qatar hopes to host private tests in 2013 and more if the interest is there

In 2004, when Bahrain made its entry into the Formula One calendar, the Losail circuit in Qatar was shaking up the MotoGP championship calendar by organizing a nighttime race. Built not far from Doha, for an amount of 75 million dollars—and a lighting system whose cost is estimated at 15 million dollars—the Qatari circuit has never hosted Formula One, whether as part of a race or private testing.

However, Qatar is keen to make a name for itself in Formula One and has received a visit from Charlie Whiting, FIA safety delegate and Formula One race director: “We are trying to obtain the license that would allow us to host F1 teams for pre-season testing and other activities,” Nasser Bin Kahlifa Al Attiyah told the newspaper The Peninsula. “Charlie Whiting came here to inspect the Losail circuit and was impressed by what he saw. Hosting private Formula One tests would give the Losail circuit, among other things, a huge boost. […] We are pushing in this direction and that is why Charlie Whiting visited the Losail circuit. He was very impressed with the artificial grass we have around the circuit. He took a sample with him. He thinks it could be used around other circuits,” added the President of the Qatar Motor and Motorcycle Federation.

All that remains is to wait for Charlie Whiting to present his conclusions at the next FIA Safety Commission, which Al Attiyah wants to bring to Qatar for a seminar in the coming weeks: « This would allow us to bring together the leading minds in motorsport safety programs. We also want to put Qatar on F1’s radar. »

If the FIA were to grant the Losail circuit the necessary license to host Formula One tests, it would only be a small step away from organizing a Grand Prix, even though Jean Todt acknowledged in 2010 that it did not depend on the FIA: « It is easy for Qatar to host an F1 race. It is a commercial issue that needs to be resolved by Formula 1 through the FOM and local organizers. We already have two Formula 1 races in the Middle East, an addition from Qatar would be welcome. »

It just so happens that following the postponement of the Grand Prix of America to 2014, Bernie Ecclestone might be tempted to capitalize on Qatar’s ambition to replace the American event in 2013, even though no event is scheduled at the Losail circuit during the two weekends between the Canadian and British Grand Prix, next June.

To note that in 2013, the teams should have three pre-season testing sessions, spread over the month of February, on the circuits of Jerez and Barcelona. However, there is no indication that they will be interested in the idea of conducting tests on a circuit where, although they will have weather conditions more in line with those encountered during the season, they will have no comparative data, which is particularly offered by the Spanish circuits.