History will be made in the desert this weekend as Bahrain hosts its first ever Formula One Grand Prix. The track at Sakhir is one of the two new race venues - both in Asia - on the expanded calendar this season. The other new race will be in Shanghai. The championship will be aired live on Star Sports at 4.45 pm on Sunday, 4 April.
The kingdom of Bahrain is a series of islands off the coast of Saudi Arabia and is the first Middle East nation to host an F1 race. The Bahrain circuit has cost $150 million to build and the main stands can hold 50,000. It was designed by Hermann Tilke who also did the new Nürburgring, Hockeneheim, and Barcelona.
Besides the main race, Star Sports' comprehensive coverage of F1 also includes the action of the qualifying race. Forty five minutes before the main race - Race Day - Star Sports' unique preview show, will air exclusive interviews, race preview together with track and weather update. In the post-race show Chequered Flag there will be post-race interviews and highlights, plus a preview of the next race.