Lusail International
SprintLusail International Circuit
| Session | Local Time | |
|---|---|---|
| FP1 | 13:30 | |
| FP2 | 17:00 | |
| FP3 | 14:30 | |
| Qualifying | 18:00 | |
| Race | 16:00 |
Track Sectors
Long run to Turn 1, a heavy braking zone, then into a sweeping opening sector — unusually fast for a modern Tilke design.
The iconic middle sector — a sustained series of medium-to-high-speed direction changes that generates the highest continuous lateral load on any current F1 lap.
A sequence of long, committed corners feeding onto the pit straight — the final turn is taken close to flat-out.
About Lusail International
The Lusail International Circuit sits in the desert north of Doha and was originally built in 2004 for MotoGP. Almost all of its corners are high-speed sweepers, making Lusail the most physically demanding venue on the calendar for drivers — the middle sector produces continuous lateral loading for over twenty seconds at a time. Tyre punishment is aggressive enough that mandatory three-stop strategies have appeared in recent years.
In the first F1 race in Qatar, Lewis Hamilton dominated from pole — though the headline image was the front-row Verstappen grid penalty for ignoring yellow flags in qualifying.
Pirelli imposed an 18-lap maximum tyre stint mid-weekend after sustained kerb damage to sidewalls. The rule turned the Qatar GP into the most strategically constrained race of recent years.
Max Verstappen needed only 3 sprint points to clinch his third world championship — and took them comfortably on Saturday evening, before going on to win Sunday's race as well.
Driver Records at Lusail International
Recent Grand Prix Winners
| Year | Winner | Results |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Max Verstappen | Full result → |
Once podium / pole / FL data per round is plumbed in, this table expands to a full P1 · P2 · P3 · Pole · FL row layout.
How Lusail International Compares
Head-to-head on the things that matter for race day.
| Circuit | Length | Top Speed | Avg Overtakes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lusail International · Qatar | 5.419 km | 325 km/h | 18 |
| Silverstone · UK | 5.890 km | 330 km/h | 30 |
| Suzuka · Japan | 5.810 km | 320 km/h | 12 |
| Spa · Belgium | 7.000 km | 340 km/h | 35 |