Qatar to host F1 race for first time in November

A Moto3 race in the Qatar Grand Prix at the Losail International Circuit in Doha, Qatar, on March 26, 2017. (Rafa Marrodan / AP)

Qatar will host its first Formula One race in November as part of the series' pandemic-related schedule shuffling, and the nation signed a 10-year hosting agreement that begins in 2023.

The announcement on Thursday gives Qatar the last vacant slot on this year's F1 schedule. The night race will be held under floodlights at Losail International Circuit on Nov. 21, exactly one year before the start of the 2022 World Cup in Al Khor.

International communications company Ooredoo will be the title sponsor for the event.

The Qatar Grand Prix will be the 20th of 22 races on the F1 schedule and create a three-race swing through the Middle East to conclude the season. Qatar will be followed by the inaugural Saudi Arabian GP in Jeddah and the Dec. 12 season-ending Abu Dhabi GP.

"There was a strong will from Qatar to be helpful to F1, and in the course of this process, the vision for a longer partnership was discussed and agreed," F1 said in a statement on Thursday. "The vision for F1 to be the showcase for Qatar after the (soccer) World Cup in 2022 was the driving force."

The Qatari circuit is most recognized for the MotoGP events it has hosted since 2004. The 5.4-kilometre (3.4-mile) circuit holds 8,000 fans. F1 had been searching for a venue to replace the Japanese Grand Prix, which was canceled in August and created a late-season hole on the schedule.

"I'm very proud that we've been able to support Formula 1 by stepping in and hosting a race in our country in such a short time frame, while also securing a ground-breaking long term deal with F1," said Abdulrahman Al-Mannai, President of Qatar Motor & Motorcycle Federation.

"This exciting agreement means that Qatar will be the home of both Formula 1 and MotoGP for the next decade, which are the pinnacle events in global motorsport. We have a proud motorsport history and this is the next chapter for us. Qatar will be a great destination for F1 and we look forward to welcoming all the drivers, teams, media and fans very soon."

Because of the World Cup next year, the 10-year deal to host F1 will not begin until 2023. But F1 said it is in discussion on if Losail will be the venue beginning in 2023 because the circuit needs alterations.

"We have shown that we can continue to adapt and there is huge interest in our sport, and the hope from many locations to have a Grand Prix," F1 president Stefano Domenicali said. "The huge effort from all the teams, F1 and (governing body) FIA has made it possible to deliver a 22-race calendar, something that is very impressive during a challenging year."