Qatar 'set to join Formula 1 calendar'

Bernie Ecclestone is on the verge of agreeing a deal that would see 2022 World Cup hosts Qatar staging a Formula 1 grand prix in the next two years.

A major stumbling block for Qatar had been convincing Bahrain to approve the deal, with the Bahrainis holding an unofficial veto over other races in the region.

However, Nasser bin Khalifa al-Attiyah, head of Qatar's motorsport federation and vice-president of the FIA, has now claimed a deal to host a race in Qatar is close to being finalised.

"We are about to sign contracts to organise a Formula One race. We have completed all the steps and there are only a few details before the official signature," he told AFP.

The grand prix would be hosted either in Lusail, which has staged Moto GP races, or at a specially designed street circuit around the capital Doha.