Image: APA / AFP / ALEXANDER NEMENOV
The exciting Formula 1 World Cup 2021 includes a record calendar with 22 races for the first time. As expected, Qatar is stepping in for Australia and will celebrate its Formula 1 premiere on November 21 with the floodlit course in Losail near Doha. In addition, the host of the 2022 World Cup has signed a ten-year contract with Liberty Media starting in 2023 and will be a permanent fixture on the Formula 1 calendar from then on.
This year, Qatar complements a quartet in the Middle East with the other races in Bahrain (season opening in March), Saudi Arabia on December 5th. and the World Cup final on December 12th in Abu Dhabi. Since the track opening in 2014, the MotoGP has been a regular guest in Losail with its season opening. Originally, 23 races were planned for this year, but Japan cannot be replaced. Still, it's a record number.
The Qatar premiere will be a logistical and technical travel challenge, as it is the end of a series with Mexico on November 7th, Brazil on November 14th and Doha on November 21st, i.e. three races within three Sundays in a row. The race in Australia cannot take place in 2021 either, despite an initial postponement due to the pandemic.
The current Formula 1 World Championship is extremely exciting. In the drivers' standings, defending champion Lewis Hamilton is just two points ahead of Max Verstappen with seven races to go. For the Red Bull driver it would be the first world title, for Mercedes driver Hamilton the eighth and sole record.
