FEATURES: HOSPITALITY
Lusail Circuit springs into action
The view of the 400m-long screen on the TV broadcast
Following a new 10-year contract between Formula 1 and Lusail Circuit, the Qatari racetrack has undergone a raft of new renovations FORMULA 1 HAS BEEN BRANCHING OUT TO SEVERAL new territories in recent years as it looks to bring the world’s most watched racing series to an increasingly varied audience. Qatar’s Lusail Circuit was added to the F1 track list in 2021 and, after a small absence in 2022, returned at the end of 2023 to kickstart a new 10-year contract at the site located just outside the capital city. As a result, the track has undergone somewhat of a technical renovation as it sets itself up for the next decade of pedigree racing. The needs of this renovation were primarily two-fold. Firstly, a new electronic race system was requested to fully cater to evolving race regulations and, secondly, a range of new audiovisual equipment would be integrated to better support the guest experience around the circuit. “We were enlisted to participate in this project by the overall contractor, GET, and our scope was divided into two main parts,” recalls Ali Awwad, project manager from local systems integrator Techno Q. “The majority of our work comprised new AV solutions – track-side audio systems, plus a host of LED screens spread throughout the paddock. The second element was the race electronic system. For a solution such as this, you need to have a technical person who is very familiar with the sport. For this reason, we partnered with Sport Total from Germany.” In total, Techno Q’s responsibilities spanned infrastructure and the race control management system, the complete fibre-optic backbone, two separate data networks, a VoIP telecommunications system, racetrack video surveillance and storage, timekeeping, signalling, a broadband antenna TV system delivering an internal TV network, a race voice announcement system, PA system for the main grandstand, and a variety of giant LED screens, PIT‐LED strips and projections. “There were a lot of different parts but, in reality, everything we’ve provided at Lusail Circuit is one integrated system,” notes the Techno Q project manager. “For instance, the fibreoptic backbone – for which we pulled more than 150,000m of cabling – is used to deliver all the communications and data transmission of the video signals from the server. It’s a key part
of the project. Everything is connected to it and it’s the backbone of the entire operation. People see the screens and they hear the speakers, but they rarely appreciate the amount of effort expended on the background systems.” This network consists of a range of Cisco switches providing data points for the screens, which comprise more than 1,250 Samsung 43- and 55-inch units located across the circuit. Serving as the main opening backdrop for the TV broadcast and watched by millions, the huge LED screens on display at Lusail Circuit unsurprisingly grab the eye, the largest of which sits atop the pit lane and can only be viewed fully from helicopters filming above. The cornerstone of Techno Q’s activities, the colossal 5,000m2 screen was made using an INFiLED 71mm IN71P 0.8 RGBW mesh LED customised display spanning 414m x 12m. “Spectators cannot view the rooftop screen, even watching from the second floor of the hospitality area. It can only be seen from drones and helicopters, so they can get an impressive shot for the TV broadcast,” says INFiLED Qatar sales manager Ashish Saarsar. “This screen was typically used to display the F1 logo, the Qatari flag and glamour shots like that. When Max Verstappen won, for instance, he was blasted all over them. Technically, installing everything on top of the roof made it quite challenging to check what exactly was going on and there was very little space to work in.” Along with providing service and support onsite, INFiLED supplied the panels for the whole project to Darwish Technology, which in turn supplied them to Techno Q. The other main area adorned with the latest display technology is the hospitality area, which features 16 large indoor INFiLED mesh screens of 3.47 pixel pitch, each measuring 13m x 3.5m and installed behind glass panels. “To achieve a smooth and visually immersive screen experience in the hospitality area, we opted for a specialised approach by customising glass panels as a single, unified piece,” explains Awwad. “This strategic design choice eliminates any disruptions or alterations to the screen’s visual integrity. By doing away with joints in the glass panels, we ensure that the display remains seamless, free from distractions and true to its original design and resolution. The outcome is a
A Unilumin USURFACEIII 6 reflective screen greets visitors as they enter
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