This is my review of the T3 grandstand at the Lusail International circuit. I’ve put together this guide for any other spectators interested in this grandstand for the Qatar Grand Prix – either for the Formula 1 or the MotoGP.
This guide includes videos of the view from this stand, a seating chart, info on where you can get tickets even when they’re sold out elsewhere, and my tips on choosing the best seats.
Contents
T3 Grandstand Qatar Location
The T3 Grandstand at the Lusail International Circuit in Qatar is on the outside (left side) of the track at the Turn 3 right hander, which is a flat-out corner leading on to a straight.
This stand is next to the T2 grandstand which is directly to the right of it, and as you’ll see lower down this page that stand actually blocks your view to the right.
If you have tickets for the T3 grandstand at the Qatar Formula 1 Grand Prix then you also have access to the General Admission viewing area, called Lusail Hill, on the outside of the track at Turn 1.
In the satellite image below you can see how this grandstand is positioned on the outside of Turn 3.
If you plan on using the Metro Shuttle to get to the circuit, one negative of this stand is that’s it’s around a 40 minute walk to get here from where that shuttle drops off.
If you don’t fancy that walk there is an internal circuit shuttle you can hop on that will take you closer to this stand – keep an eye out for that.
Grandstand details
Cover
The T3 grandstand is not covered, but it’s never going to rain and the F1 race is at night. Being in the desert it does actually get cold when the sun goes down so bring some extra layers to keep warm.
Seats
The seats in this stand are individual plastic chairs.
TV screens
There’s one TV screen visible from this stand. It’s on the other side of the track between Turns 2 and 3, so the further to the right you sit in this grandstand the better your view of the screen will become.
T3 Grandstand tickets Lusail Circuit
Tickets for the grandstands at the Lusail International circuit often sell out quickly for the F1 and MotoGP. In that case what I do is to buy tickets through ViaGoGo instead. They’ll have some for sale right up until the race day, even if they’re sold out in other places.
Plus you can go for single-day ticket options through ViaGoGo, which are cheaper and give you more flexibility to try different stands on different days.
I’ve bought my F1 tickets through ViaGoGo loads of times over the last few seasons, including for my most recent trips to the Canadian and British GPs, and have never had any issues.
T3 Grandstand Qatar seating plan
Below is the seating plan for the T3 Grandstand at the Lusail International Circuit.
As the seating plan shows, the grandstand is split in to different sections. The row number increases the higher up the stand you go.
NOTE: You do not get assigned seats in the T3 grandstand. When you buy tickets you don’t have a reserved seat. That means you can try whichever seats you like in the grandstand when you get there. The circuit will not sell more tickets than the total number of seats, so there will always be space for you.
But the best seats tend to get taken early. So the earlier you get to the grandstand the more choice of seats you’ll have.
View
The image below shows the sections of the circuit you can see from this stand highlighted in green:
From the T3 grandstand at Qatar you have a view of the cars entering the Turn 3 right hander, going through that corner flat-out, accelerating along the following straight and then braking and turning in to Turn 4. You lose them out of sight once they’ve passed the apex of Turn 4.
Unfortunately the adjacent grandstand to the right of this one blocks your view of Turn 2. However, if you sit in the very top row of the T3 grandstand you can actually turn around and just about catch a glimpse of the cars as they exit Turn 1. This image shows the view when you do that:
This video was filmed from one of the more central sections of the t3 grandstand, about 7 rows from the back of the grandstand. As you can see you have a great view of the cars flying around Turn 3 then heading down towards Turn 4. At 1:55 in this video you can see how the stand to your right blocks the view of Turn 2.
Best seats
I’d definitely suggest trying to get a seat in the top row of the stand so you can turn around and watch the cars as they come out of Turn 1. The higher row also gives you a nicer vantage point for watching the cars come through Turn 3 and head to T4.
I’d also try and sit on the right-hand side of the stand to have a better view of the TV screen.
As this stand doesn’t have assigned seating for ticket holders, you’ll need to get there early on Sunday to try and grab some of these best seats. Aim to get there when the gates open and make a beeline for the stand. You’ll then have to hold on to your seats all day / night.
Is this a good place to sit?
You’re unlikely to see much overtaking at Turn 3 as it’s flat out but the braking zone for Turn 4 is somewhere the drivers occasionally try an overtake, and you have a great view of that. And because you get to watch the cars go along the straight between turns 3 and 4 you actually get to see them for a bit longer than if you sat in the adjacent stand.
The place where most overtaking happens on the circuit is in the braking zone for Turn 1. So if like me you want to stand a better chance of seeing some action, go for one of the grandstands on the start / finish straight instead.
