Formula 1 heads to Qatar in latest win for 2022 World Cup host

Qatar will host its first Formula 1 motor race in November and get a permanent spot on the championship calendar under a 10-year deal that starts in 2023, the latest sporting win for the host of next year’s Soccer World Cup.

See you soon, Losail International Circuit ?#F1 #QatarGP pic.twitter.com/gPSFOSPzeo

— Formula 1 (@F1) September 30, 2021

The event will be held at the Losail International Circuit and replaces the Australian Grand Prix, which was cancelled earlier this year because of the country’s tightened border controls.

Qatar will be the fourth Gulf nation on the Formula One calendar after Bahrain, Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia.

“The vision for F1 to be the showcase for Qatar after the FIFA World Cup in 2022 was the driving force behind this long term agreement,” Formula 1 said in a statement on its website on Thursday.

With our very first trip to Qatar not far away, here’s everything you need to know about our latest addition to the calendar ⬇️#F1 #QatarGP https://t.co/FatIzdmg5Z

— Formula 1 (@F1) September 30, 2021

The tournament will help boost the tourism sector, which has been hit hard by coronavirus restrictions.

It will also boost Qatar’s efforts to use the wealth from natural gas to transform itself into a sport and cultural capital. In 2010, it overcame concerns about high temperatures and lack of infrastructure to become the first Arab country to win rights to stage the Soccer World Cup.

The country wants to use that tournament to showcase its rapid expansion from a small pearl-diving enclave to Gulf metropolis and transit hub. It expects a $20bn bump to the economy from the event, equivalent to about 11 per cent of its gross domestic product in 2019.