Day-night GP for Abu Dhabi

Abu Dhabi's inaugural Grand Prix will be the first Formula One race to start during the day and end at night. The race is set to begin at 5pm - about 45 minutes before sunset - and end in darkness less than two hours later. Formula One has held a night race before, but never a day-night race. "It is the best of both worlds," said Richard Cregan, chief executive of Abu Dhabi Motorsport Management, the race organiser. "Spectators and television viewers will see the stunning architecture of the world's newest Formula One circuit during the afternoon sunlight and then experience what it is like under floodlights." The race will be held November 1 at the 5.5km course on Yas Island. "Yas Marina Circuit has been built from the outset to host day and night-time activities," Mr Cregan said. "Staging F1's first ever day-and-night race offers us the unique opportunity to demonstrate the circuit's inbuilt flexibility and state-of-the-art facilities." The race, which will be the final event of the F1 season, was originally scheduled to start at 3pm, meaning it would have ended in daylight. The race organisers announced the time change yesterday. Last year, Singapore staged the sport's first night race, and another night race will be held there next month. Both the Australian and Malaysian Grands Prix, which opened the F1 race calendar earlier this year, started at 5pm. Unlike those races, however, the one at Yas Island will end in darkness because of the time of year and Abu Dhabi's more westerly geographical location. Sunset in Abu Dhabi is expected at 5.43pm on November 1. The prospect of Abu Dhabi running a twilight race, which will be favourable to European television audiences, had been discussed among the race organisers for several months. Other cities that have experimented with late afternoon start times have had mixed results, however. The Malaysian race was abandoned because of heavy rain. Drivers also said visibility was poor because of the late start time, though Abu Dhabi race organisers hope to avoid such problems with better lighting. rhughes@thenational.ae