The Challenge
Formula 1 events operate under some of the most intense scrutiny in global sport. When Lusail International Circuit appointed Safe Events Global through a competitive tender process to manage Health and Safety for the Qatar Grand Prix weekend in 2025, our brief covered two distinct but closely connected operations.
The first was the track and venue itself – the environment in which practice, qualifying and race day took place. The second was the After Race Concert series, with consecutive nights of performances running across the same weekend.
Managing both, simultaneously, to the standard Formula 1 demands was the challenge.
The Solution
From the outset, we embedded our five-person team directly into the established structures at Lusail, working alongside Paul McDonagh, Safety and Security Director, and his team.
Our approach was to create one coherent safety operation across both remits rather than two parallel ones. That meant consistent standards, shared communication, and a single framework covering everything from build through to break.
We reviewed and strengthened event documentation across both programmes, maintained ongoing coordination with stakeholders and local authorities throughout, and ensured that every contractor and operational team was working to the same expectations across every phase of the event.
Running two distinct H&S remits simultaneously — one within the Formula 1 regulatory framework, the other covering a large-scale outdoor concert series — required a team that could move between both without losing continuity or clarity. That is what we built and what we delivered.
The Result
Over 163,000 people attended the on-track programme across the weekend. The After Race Concert series closed with a headline performance by Metallica, drawing tens of thousands more to the concert site on the final evening.
Every phase of the project – construction, rehearsals, race operations and post-event dismantle – was completed without major incident and in line with all regulatory requirements.
For Lusail International Circuit, the outcome was a Grand Prix weekend that met the standards Formula 1 expects and delivered the experience its audiences come for.
For Safe Events Global, it was our second consecutive year providing H&S services for the After Race Concerts at Lusail – and the first in which our remit extended to cover the full Grand Prix programme.
Our Part
We embedded our five-person team into the Lusail operational structure across both the Formula 1 track and venue programme and the After Race Concert series – managing two intertwined safety remits as one integrated operation throughout build, live days and break.
Services we provided included:
- Build & break H&S services
- Operational team deployment
- Live show H&S services
- Partial implementation of Digital Operations programme
- Crowd & Event Safety consultancy
- Safety by Design consultancy
- Tactical Command provision
- Stakeholder management
- Vendor management
