Qatar hoping to host F1 race - Formula 1 news - GPUpdate.net


With Bernie Ecclestone having confirmed a Grand Prix on the streets of Italian capital city Rome for 2013, the Formula 1 commercial rights holder has also said that the calendar will be increasing in length to a record 20 races in coming years, with Qatar hoping to add its name to the list.

With the current pair of Middle Eastern Grands Prix bookending the F1 calendar, Qatar is already a popular fixture on the MotoGP schedule thanks to its now traditional season-opening night race at the Losail circuit, which also hopes to welcome the premier four-wheeled motor racing series.

"Surely F1 is part of our future plans," Nasser bin Khalifa al-Attiyah, President of the Qatar Motor and Motorcycling Federation, is quoted as saying by the Gulf Times. "Considerable work on the track has already been done but there's a lot of development which still needs to be done (in order to bring the track up to F1 specification).

"We need to be absolutely sure when it comes to safety; once everything is in place, the track will be evaluated by the safety commissioner and then licensed for official F1 testing - after that we will be ready to be part of the F1 circus."

 

I'm sorry, but I don't see a need for another race in the ME. I know they have the money and track, but you already have the Bahrain and Abu Dhabi races there. Bring F1 back to the US, damnit!

It is nice to see they're bringing the total number of races up to 20, but I wouldn't be surprised if this pissed off some of the newer teams since it'll cost them quite a bit more money to run the extra races.

 

you can say that again but in all seriousness I agree with you 100% 2 races in the gulf is plenty and no one will top Abu Dhabi so its pointless. I really hope that they bring back F1 to the US and it should be two races and not at Indy IMO they should be in NYC and Miami

 

not only does the ME have money and circuits but they have one big element that is lacking in the US...fans. with such a minuscule fan base here how can you expect a big push to get races? i think the number is growing steadily but it will take quite a while to become significant. there are certain factions in F1 that don't believe the US fan can comprehend the sport, they believe the only motorsport americans can grasp is turning left for a few hours. also, how can corporations be expected to sponsor events that so few are interested in and watch. what the US needs is an american driver in F1 that can actually be competitive, thats what is usually necessary for americans to show real interest. i do believe that a race through new york would be spectacular though, that could spark real interest in a hurry.

 

I completely agree with you. Formula 1 wouldn't be entertaining the idea of more races in the ME if the demand, money, and support wasn't there for it. I'm just saying it'd be a bit disproportionate to have 3 races there. Besides, there isn't a single driver from the region in the sport today.

 

There are plenty of F1 fans in the U.S.

When I attended the USGP in 2007 there were over 200,000 people there. The stands were absolutely filled to capacity.

Last year we saw several races where the cameras couldn't even show parts of the circuit because the stands were empty.

Other countries gave away tickets to the grandstand for free on the day of the race so that the stands would appear full.

At least in the U.S. the average person can afford a ticket. Do you think that the average person in Korea or China can afford $400 for a race ticket?

 

you are mistaking attendance at races with general fan base. the percentage of americans interested in F1 is minuscule, you cannot argue that point my friend. you attended the one F1 race in this country so i have no doubt it was packed, there are certainly more than 200k F1 fans in the US. my point is there isn't a significant fan base here. when the TV ratings are calculated you can see what i mean, some of the poorer countries that host F1 races may not be able to fill the stands because of ticket costs but the TV ratings are very high giving tangible ROI to the sponsors.

F1 sponsorship is based on television exposure, this is the only avenue for the sponsors to see value in their expenditure. if there is no one watching the races, why would sponsors wish to spend their money to host a race in the US? always remember, if it don't make dollars then it don't make cents.

 

↑ Point well made.

TV revenue is really where its at. The U.S. can't give F1 much in that regard.

 

lets hope this new york street race comes to fruition. i think it could really spur some interest over here. the US is such a great market for F1, it just needs a few more pieces to fall into place and there could be real progress made.

 

The reason for the lack of TV ratings here is because all of the races are held on the other side of the world which makes it really difficult for a lot of US fans to watch live. Maybe a poor excuse, but an excuse nonetheless.