25/11/2014
NEWS STORY
Bernie Ecclestone has revealed that Qatar is planning to host a Grand Prix in a bid to build up its sporting legacy according to an article in the Independent by Christian Sylt.
Qatar controversially won the right to stage the 2022 World Cup and an F1 race there would be create just as many waves. This is because it would bring F1's tally of races in the Middle East to three which is more than there are in North America. It would join Grands Prix in Bahrain (pictured) and Abu Dhabi which hosted Sunday's season-ender.
There is a premium price for becoming a member of this exclusive club and sources suggest that Qatar would have to pay around £50m annually for a race. It would tip the current record of £46.3m paid by Abu Dhabi and would bring the total fee to around £500m as contracts typically run for ten years.
Qatar's 3.4-mile Losail circuit has hosted GP2 and is home to MotoGP but Ecclestone isn't ruling out an F1 street race which would differentiate the Grand Prix from the others in the Middle East.
"We are looking at all possibilities there. Qatar is not signed but they are ready to go," says Ecclestone adding that he doesn't think three races is too many in the Middle East. Losail is fully floodlit, as the MotoGP race takes place at night, so an F1 race there could follow Abu Dhabi's format of starting in twilight.
Ecclestone could not disclose further information, as the details of the negotiations are confidential, but it is thought that if the race gets the green light it would take place by 2017 at the latest. Last year Qatar was reportedly under consideration as a venue for pre-season testing but its ambitions have grown since then.
There are currently 19 races on the F1 calendar and next year it will hit 20 - equalling the record set in 2012 - with the addition of a Grand Prix in Mexico followed by Azerbaijan in 2016. For years 20 races was the limit because team staff refused to spend more time at the track away from their families. However that changed last year when the teams signed new contracts which require majority consent from Ferrari, McLaren and Red Bull Racing if the calendar exceeds 20 races or if more than 17 are held with the number outside Europe, the US or Canada exceeding 60%.
Ecclestone recently said "if I want more than 20 races I don't need consent from the teams. I don't think so. I don't care about the consent from them which is more to the point." If Qatar puts pen to paper that could soon be put to the test.