This is my review and spectator guide for the Main Grandstand at the Lusail International Circuit which hosts the Qatar Formula 1 Grand Prix.
It includes videos of the views from different seats, a seating plan, ticket info and my tips on picking the best seats.
Contents
Main Grandstand Qatar Location
The Main Grandstand at the Lusail International Circuit in Doha, Qatar, is on the outside (left-hand side) of the main start / finish straight. It’s directly opposite the pit lane and overlooks the start line, starting grid, finish line, podium and the pit boxes and garages.
It’s directly adjacent to the smaller North Grandstand which is to the left of this one. It’s not quite opposite the pit lane exit or entrance, but instead it overlooks the whole starting grid (if you get the right seats) so is a great place to sit if you want spot your favourite drivers / team principals / celebrities on the grid before the race begins.
The Main Grandstand at Lusail was renovated before the 2023 Formula 1 race to make it more modern and more comfortable.
Grandstand details
Cover
The Main grandstand at the Qatar GP does have a roof over the top of it, but it only really covers the back half of the stand.
There’s never a risk of rain so you don’t need to worry about that. The Formula 1 in Qatar is a night race, but the earlier sessions like FP1 can happen in the late afternoon when the sun is still up. But this grandstand is North facing, so in the late afternoon the roof will provide shade for everyone in the grandstand, wherever you’re seated.
Seats
The seats are individual plastic chairs:
TV screens
There are 4 TV screen visible from this grandstand. They’re all on top of the pit buildings opposite the stand. There’s one after the finish line, one after the start line and two in between.
Main Grandstand tickets Lusail Circuit
Because of the fantastic views of the pitlane, pit garages, podium and start line, this is one of the most popular places to sit at both the F1 and MotoGP at the Lusail circuit.
And because of that, tickets will often sell out fast on the official website. If that’s the case, you can do what I do and buy your tickets through ViaGoGo for either the Formula 1 or Moto GP Qatar races, as they will have tickets available right up until the race weekend even when they’re sold out everywhere else.
And you can also select single-day ticket options on ViaGoGo which give you more flexibility and are cheaper than 3-day ticekts.
I’ve bought Formula 1 tickets through ViaGoGo a number of times over the last few seasons and have always had a great experience using them. Most recently I bought tickets to the Canadian and British GPs using them and managed to find tickets for less than the official cost.
They also have a FanProtect Guarantee which looks pretty robust and is there to protect your money. That gives me a little extra peace of mind when booking with them.
Main Grandstand Qatar seating plan
Below is the seating plan for the Main Grandstand at the Lusail International Circuit in Qatar.
As the seating plans shows the grandstand is split in to 6 zones, named A to F. Within each zone there are four sections, so for example there would be sections A1, A2, A3 and A4 in Zone A, and the same for all other zones.
The finish line is just to the right of Zone A. The Qatar GP podium is directly opposite Zone A of the Main Grandstand. The Start Line is opposite Zones D and E.
The team that finished first in the previous season’s constructor championship has their garage just to the left of the podium opposite Zone B. As you then get further along the pitlane the garages move along to the teams with progressively lower finishing positions. The final team’s garage is opposite Zone D.
Row numbers are lower in the seats at the front of the grandstand and increase as you move up. Row 1 is the front row and Row 14 is the back row.
View
This image shows the parts of the circuit you can see from this stand in green:
As the image shows the view from the Main grandstand is of the start finish straight and the pitlane. When you look to the left you can just about see the cars or bikes braking for Turn 1 but you’ll struggle to see them once they get to the apex and beyond. It’s normally the people sat to the left of you in the stand that block your view. Similarly to the right you’ll just start to see them as they exit the final corner.
Getting a good view of the action in the pitlane depends mainly on your row. The higher your row the better as then it becomes easier to see over the pit wall in to the pit boxes and garages. If you’re in the front few rows the pit wall will block your view of the pitlane.
This image shows the view to the left from Zone E Row 7. Zone E is the furthest section to the left, so has the best view of Turn 1:
To show you the difference the row selection makes, 5:27 in this first video was filmed from Zone D Row 10 which gives a nice high up vantage point just to the left of the start line. This is a great place to sit:
But 10:19 in the same video was filmed from Row 1 in Zone C, lower down right at the front of the stand, and from here you can’t see over the pit wall as easily, but you are closer to the track and get more of a sense of speed as the cars or bikes come past:
This next clip was filmed from Zone B Row 14, which is further to the right and in the back row. It shows the view to the right, of the cars exiting the final corner and heading along the main straight:
This video was taken from Zone A Row 10 showing the view to the left at the start of the Formula 1 race:
And finally this video was taken from Zone E Row 6:
Best seats
Being high up in this stand is good because you get a better view over the pit wall and in to the pit lane, to be able to see the action when the cars come in for their pitstops.
If you want to be in prime position for the podium ceremony after the race then you need to sit in Zone A. If seeing the braking for Turn 1 is your priority then go for Zone D or E.
Personally I’d want to have the best view of the pre-race grid walk, so would go for Zones C or D in Row 10 and above for the best seats in the Main Grandstand at Lusail International Circuit in Qatar.
Is this a good place to sit?
You won’t see much overtaking action here, but this is the place to be for pit-lane action and spotting drivers, team principals and celebrities on the grid before the race. It’s also the best place to sit to see the podium at the Qatar Grand Prix.
Other grandstand guides
- WIP
