On Wednesday, the president of Qatar's motor sports federation said the country intends to upgrade the Losail circuit, currently used for MotoGP night races, to be ready for formula one.
"We will be shortly inviting tenders for the job and once we decide on whom to award the contract, work will start soon," Khalifa al-Attiyah told the local Gulf Times newspaper.
He would not be drawn on when the first Qatar grand prix might be held.
"Formula one teams can use the track for testing which will put Qatar on the map and also help us earn good revenue," al-Attiyah added.
