News: Qatar said to be in line to host Formula One race

Qatar is set to become the third country in the Middle East to host a Formula One Prix race.

According to in London, the Qatar GP will be part of the F1 calendar by 2017 at the latest, if the race gets the green light.

F1 boss Bernie Eccelstone

The Qatar race could be hosted at either the Lusail circuit or be a street race, which would help it to stand out from its Middle East rivals.

F1 boss Bernie Eccelstone said the negotiations, the details of which were confidential, are ongoing.

“We are looking at all possibilities there. Qatar is not signed but they are ready to go,” Ecclestone told the Independent.

The race will be the third on the F1 calendar to be based in the Middle East, along with Bahrain and Abu Dhabi.

Given that Lusail is floodlit track, which currently hosts MotoGP races and F1’s feeder series GP2 races, it’s likely be a twilight event, similar to Abu Dhabi.

The Independent also reports that Qatar would have to pay in the region of $78.4m (£50m) annually to host the race, which would exceed the record of $72.6m (£46.3m) paid by Abu Dhabi.