Williams Wants Qatar Race in Formula 1

The 2011 Formula One calendar will be comprised of 20 races, and a few months back its supremo Bernie Ecclestone hinted that he's going for 25. That's obviously not going to happen, but it doesn't mean certain countries can't aim for a piece of the pie inside the Great Circus. And the latest to do so is Qatar, a country that has already stepped into the world motor racing scene thanks to its commitments in the MotoGP, where it hosts the only night race of the series.

After hosting races in the GP2 Asia Series and being a constant presence in the MotoGP championship – where it opens up the season year after year – the Losail International Circuit is now tipped to make the next big step into F1. Unfortunately, it's not Ecclestone to fancy the idea, but one of the most respected team bosses in the paddock, Sir Frank Williams.

“I would love to see a race in Qatar because of our involvement here. In my humble opinion, the Losail circuit is admirably suited for an F1 race,” said Williams in a recent interview with the Gulf Times. As revealed by several reports earlier this year, Williams is planning to build a technology center in Qatar.

Apart from the aforementioned two championships in which the Losail circuit is currently hosting races, there is also the World Superbike Championship that comes to Qatar year in and year out. However, although he agrees that a few tweaks should to the trick, Williams disagrees with the idea of having more than 20 – 22 races in a single F1 season.

“I would love to see more races, but I don't think we could ever have more than 22 without compromising the preparations and driver safety,” added the boss of the Grove based organization.

Most recently, Russia and the United States have announced multi-year deals for hosting F1 races in the decade to come, while India has stepped into the game from as early as next season.