Lusail
Lusail International Circuit
- 2025 – Max Verstappen
- 2024 – Max Verstappen
- 2023 – Max Verstappen
- 2021 – Lewis Hamilton
- 2025 – Oscar Piastri
- 2024 – Max Verstappen
- 2023 – Max Verstappen
- 2021 – Lewis Hamilton
When was the track built?
Lusail International Circuit was built north of Doha and opened in 2004, conceived as a motorcycle venue and long best known as a MotoGP host. Its floodlighting system, installed for night racing later that decade, was among the most extensive in motorsport at the time. Ahead of Formula 1’s return in 2023 the circuit received significant upgrades, including new pit and paddock facilities and, importantly, resurfacing and revised kerbs after the first grand prix exposed problems with tyre wear.
When was its first Grand Prix?
Formula 1 first raced at Lusail in 2021, a late addition to a disrupted calendar, and then returned from 2023 on a long-term deal. That makes it one of the newer venues in championship terms, with only a handful of grands prix to draw on. Its short history has already been eventful, taking in tyre failures, a punishing heat-related edition that drew attention to driver welfare, and mandatory stint limits imposed on safety grounds.
What’s the circuit like?
Faster and more flowing than its reputation suggests. The lap is built around a long sequence of medium and high-speed corners, with a substantial main straight for a breather and one genuinely heavy braking zone. Downforce levels sit high, and the sustained lateral loading through those sweeps is the hardest test of tyre construction on the calendar, which is why stint limits have been necessary. Kerbs have been a source of tyre damage. Brakes have a comparatively easy weekend. Overtaking is largely confined to the main straight and the first corner, so track position carries weight.
Why go?
A late-November desert night race with mild evening temperatures and clear skies, which is about as pleasant as motorsport spectating gets after the European season has closed. Doha is compact, modern and easy to move around, with the souq and the waterfront worth a day either side. The circuit sits a short drive from the city. The crowd is smaller and quieter than the South American or Italian rounds, so if you value comfortable access and a good view without the crush, it makes a strong case for itself.
Where is the best place to watch?
The main grandstand covers the start, the pit lane and the braking into Turn 1, which is where the overtaking happens. Grandstands overlooking the fast sweeps in the middle sector show the cars at their most impressive, loaded up and changing direction at speed. The final-corner seating gives you the exit onto the long straight and the setup for a pass. Because the race runs under lights, the visual quality from almost any seat is high. Sightlines are generally good given the flat, open desert site.