Formula 1 today confirmed that the Losail International Circuit in Qatar will be the latest addition to the 2021 FIA Formula One World Championship between the 19th – 21st November, with Ooredoo – the international communications company as the title sponsor.

Qatar will join the F1 calendar under a 10-year deal from 2023.

"We are very grateful to The Qatar Motor & Motorcycle Federation (QMMF) and the Qatari Authorities for their enthusiasm and support in hosting a race this season, at short notice. We are also very appreciative of their efforts to ensure the race can take place in November at the Losail International Circuit situated just outside the Qatari capital of Doha."

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 for 10 years.

The step from the gesture to be helpful to F1 in 2021 to a long term strategy was short and simple and 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. As part of the longer-term deal, discussions will continue regarding the location for the Grand Prix from 2023 with further details to be provided at a later time.

"The Formula 1 community will continue to travel this season with stringent safety measures that have allowed us to travel safely this season. Since our restart last season we have conducted over 150,000 tests with 124 positive cases a rate of 0.08% and alongside this a significant proportion of the F1 community has been vaccinated already. We will continue to operate in a way that protects the safety of our personnel and the communities we visit." stated official message from fia.

The race in Qatar will take place just a week after the start in Brazil on the Interlagos track. This will be a big challenge for the teams, which will have to travel 11,000 kilometers.

The race in Qatar will also launch a series of races in the Middle East.

On December 5, Saudi Arabia will debut as a host in Formula 1, and on December 12 will be the final race of the season in Abu Dhabi.