Qatar GP on October 8 as FIA announces 2023 calendar

Doha: Qatar's Lusail International Circuit will host the country's second Formula 1 Grand Prix next on October 8 next year, the    sport's governing body, FIA has announced.

Qatar successfully hosted the country's first-ever Formula 1 (F1) Grand Prix on November 21, 2021.  Next year's Formula 1 calendar includes a record 24 races and the Qatar Grand Prix will be the fourth Middle Eastern round after being absent this year.

The floodlit Lusail International Circuit which is also a popular stop in the MotoGP Calendar, will host the Formula 1 Grand Prix for 10 more years from 2023. 

Meanwhile, making its floodlit debut will be Las Vegas in November 2023.

FIA announced on Tuesday that the Las Vegas Strip circuit taking a Nov. 18 date as the season’s penultimate round and third in the United States.

It will also be the first race to be held on a Saturday since 1985.

“The Las Vegas Grand Prix is going to take F1 race weekends to the next level,” said Formula One chief executive Stefano Domenicali. “The entire city is buzzing with excitement for next year’s race.” The Grand Prix’s 6.12km track along the famed Las Vegas Strip will see drivers roar past landmarks such as the Bellagio Fountains and Caesars Palace at an event expected to attract 170,000 fans.

Meanwhile, Monaco had its future thrown into doubt earlier in the year amid contract renewal talks.

Formula One said a new three-year deal had now been signed with the Automobile Club de Monaco, whose president Michel Boeri added that it was likely to be renewed.

The principality retains its traditional May 28 slot as the eighth race and middle part of a triple-header with Italy’s Imola and Spain’s Circuit de Catalunya near Barcelona.

This season was to have had a record 23 races but that was reduced to 22 after Russia’s race in Sochi was cancelled following the invasion of Ukraine.

Bahrain will open the season on March 5 with Abu Dhabi hosting the final round on Nov. 26. The calendar also avoids a clash with the 24 Hours of Le Mans sportscar race which will be celebrating its 100th anniversary next year on June 10-11.

The British Grand Prix at Silverstone on July 9 will be on the weekend before the Wimbledon men’s and women’s tennis finals on July 15-16.

The traditional August break is maintained, with Belgium becoming the last race before it at the end of July -- and following on from Hungary -- rather than the first after.

Belgium’s longer-term future remains uncertain, with organisers signing only a one-year extension last month.

“The presence of 24 races on the 2023 FIA Formula One World Championship calendar is further evidence of the growth and appeal of the sport on a global scale,” said FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem.

“The addition of new venues and the retention of traditional events underlines the FIA’s sound stewardship of the sport,” added the Emirati.

China, which last hosted a race in 2019, returns despite lingering uncertainty over COVID-19 restrictions while France, whose race was at Le Castellet’s Circuit Paul Ricard near Marseille, has been dropped as previously announced.

Azerbaijan and Miami remain as back-to-back races on April 30 and May 7 respectively.

There was no confirmation of which races would be held in the sprint format, with the sport seeking as many as six after three this year.

Formula 1 Calendar: 2023
March 5 - Bahrain 
March 19 - Saudi Arabia (Jeddah) 
April 2 - Australia (Melbourne) 
April 16 - China (Shanghai) 
April 30 - Azerbaijan (Baku)
May 7 - Miami 
May 21 - Emilia Romagna (Imola) 
May 28 - Monaco 
June 4 - Spain (Barcelona)
June 18 - Canada (Montreal)
July 2 - Austria (Spielberg) 
July 9 - Britain (Silverstone)
July 23 - Hungary 
July 30 - Belgium (Spa-Francorchamps) 
Aug 27 - Netherlands (Zandvoort) 
Sept 3 - Italy (Monza)
Sept 17 - Singapore 
Sept 24 - Japan (Suzuka)
Oct 8 - Qatar
Oct 22 - United States (Austin)
Oct 29 - Mexico
Nov 5 - Brazil (Interlagos)
Nov 18 - Las Vegas
Nov 26 - Abu Dhabi