Qatar eyes F1 project

(GMM) The Middle Eastern state Qatar is the latest name that can be added to a list of prospective future venues for grands prix.

Referring to his country's existing race, and Abu Dhabi's newly confirmed grand prix for 2009, Bahrain finance minister Shaikh Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Khalifa said: "Qatar is also planning to follow the (United Arab Emirates) in starting a similar project, which clearly shows that formula one is a good marketing strategy."

[Editor's Note: Singapore, Abu Dhabi, South Korea, India, Russia, etc – where are all these races going to fit in the F1 calendar. The current calendar is 17 races, but Imola is spending a lot of money to improve its facility and get back on the schedule. That would make 18 races. Bernie says he wants to expand the schedule to 20 races, which means there is room for two new races before existing venues begin to lose their race.]