A dusty start for international racing.
Modern race tracks struggle to meet the needs of the series, fans, and television viewers.
As I spent my Saturday watching the first race of the FIA World Endurance Championship’s 2024 season and then the first race of the Formula 1 calendar, I was struck by how similar but very different the two tracks looked.
The WEC race was the Qatar Airways Qatar 1812km (just rolls off the tongue) endurance race held in, you guessed it, Qatar at the Lusail International Circuit. The track surface looked spectacular, with brilliantly colored run-off areas and heavy influences of the magnificent shade of purple from the Qatari flag. The paddock buildings were clean and modern, the lighting around the track was quite bright, and the towering structure for the race officials and luxury suites looked great on camera. It is probably a fantastic place from which to view the circuit.
The problem was that you couldn’t help but notice the barren desert surrounding everything that wasn’t paved. Then there were the obvious signs of recent and ongoing construction, such as open pits and trenches just off the track and cranes and bulldozers parked haphazardly around the outskirts of the circuit. Not exactly a scenic vista.
These “issues” are natural side effects of rapid growth and the effort required to be a top-tier international venue. The Lusail circuit now hosts not just the WEC but also Moto GP, several regional series, and, of course, the granddaddy of them all, Formula 1.
From the races I have watched, the Lusail team has done a spectacular job creating a circuit capable of producing entertaining racing. The relatively remote location on the northern outskirts of Doha probably results in few noise complaints from neighbors, but it holds the venue back when viewed on TV. There isn’t any sizzle when the camera pans the cars through the long corners. The shot shows nothing but white sand and the construction mentioned above.
A quick look on Google Maps will show that the circuit is not far from the Persian Gulf. However, due to the flat terrain, a viewer could spot just a glimpse of the water from the various trackside cameras during the race.
Compare that to the Formula 1 race in the neighboring country of Bahrain at the Bahrain International Circuit. The track is similarly located on the outskirts of civilization, but it looked spectacular on TV. One of the main differences was the time of the race. Being an endurance race lasting just under 10 hours, the Qatar event began in the day and finished under the lights in the early evening hours. The Formula 1 race was roughly two hours long and was held entirely at night.
The dazzling lights on and around the track hid the desert and provided a beautiful backdrop to the spectacle of F1 cars on the circuit. The track isn’t just well lit for the drivers, it is designed to be attractive to the eyes of spectators both in person, and on TV. That made a huge difference in the feel of the event from my perspective thousands of miles away.
Racing at night always looks more dramatic, with sparks flying as the cars bottom out on the track and the glow of brake rotors as they slow for a corner. With sportscar racing, the different colors and styles of headlights add to the spectacle. It just looks better, especially on TV, and especially if the area surrounding the track isn’t, well, let’s say, all that pretty.
The Qatari track has existed for almost 20 years, but it has only seen the world’s top-tier racing series for the last three and has been undergoing rapid changes based on its recent experience at this level. It shouldn’t take long for the organizers to paint and decorate it to ensure it looks good on camera regardless of the race time. Other Middle Eastern tracks with more experience (Bahrain and Abu Dhabi) have found a way to look spectacular, and I’m sure Qatar will, too.
The positive is that the racing was great. The Qatari track has a smart blend of long sweeping corners, short, high-speed straights, and smooth tarmac reminiscent of larger, more storied venues.
While these facilities will never have the lush green backdrop of a Spa Francorchamps or Road America to boost the romantic quality of their races, I have no doubt the circuits will build a history of exciting racing and their own beauty. In the interim, it may take creative production work and camera placement to help television viewers.
The following two weeks provide more exciting examples as Formula 1 attacks the Jeddah Corniche Circuit in Saudi Arabia and the IMSA series readies for the famed Twelve Hours of Sebring in Florida. The Saudi track is very new, with no provenance of history, but it has its claims to fame. It is the fastest street circuit ever in Formula 1 and the third-longest track on the calendar.
It is also built along the Red Sea and, critically, takes place at night, where wild LED lighting can make the facility look amazing. As a street circuit, it benefits from the glimmering skyscrapers and city lights, adding to the aesthetic quality when seen from the helicopter camera filming the race.
Sebring International Raceway in Florida would appear even bleaker to the casual observer than the tracks mentioned thus far. It is located in the heart of Florida’s orange belt on an old World War II Army Air Corps training airbase and has zero elevation to speak of. But the storied past of decades of racing, the legends who have graced the track, and the brutality of the bumps in the 80-year-old concrete grant Sebring a mystique the other tracks can only hope to attain.
Sebring is a perfect example for Qatar and other tracks that are not graced with rolling hills and lush forests. While it certainly helps, a race track doesn’t need to be beautiful; it just needs to be good.