Qatar plans to improve its Losail MotoGP circuit to Formula One standards, said senior official of the Gulf country's motor sports federation on Wednesday.

"We are planning a massive upgrade of the Losail circuit to make it possible to host Formula One races when the time comes," Nasser Khalifa al-Attiyah, president of the Qatar Motor and Motorcycling Federation, was quoted by the local newspaper Gulf Times.

The circuit will may be laid aside for years as Bahrain has already been on the F1 calendar, hosting the only Middle Eastern Grand Prix next week at the Sakhir circuit, and Abu Dhabi is to make its debut next year.

"You cannot say what is going to happen in the future," al-Attiyah said.

Losail hosted MotoGP's first night race earlier this month.

"Formula One teams can use the track for testing which will put Qatar on the map and also help us earn good revenue," added al-Attiyah.

(Xinhua News Agency March 27, 2008)