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The 2013 Bahrain Grand Prix kicks off at 10PM. Join The Roar for live coverage of all the on-track action at the Sakhir International Circuit.
Set amongst the sands on a tiny speck of land in the Persian Gulf sits the Kingdom of Bahrain.
Just thirty kilometres from the civil unrest raging in Manama lies the Sakhir International Circuit, an oasis of motorsport, seemingly shielded from the controversy beyond its walls.
It’s here that Formula One ends its first flyaway leg of the season, the final stop before returning to Europe.
Few races in the sport’s history have attracted controversy like Bahrain.
When its citizens rose up during the Arab Spring, the FIA reluctantly accepted the race couldn’t be run.
But amid much protesting from human rights groups, the sport returned last year and, despite fears to the contrary, emerged relatively unscathed.
Meanwhile, protect from the world outside, Formula One concerns itself with its continued search for a stable pecking order.
Three races have provided three different pole sitters, three different winners, and no consistent trend of performance. Nico Rosberg is trying to ensure that trend continues, setting the quickest time of the weekend in qualifying.
But Mercedes is worried its qualifying pace won’t translate into race pace, and Fernando Alonso’s Ferrari and Sebastian Vettel’s Red Bull are lurking behind Nico, ready to pounce.
For others, this weekend can’t end soon enough. McLaren is feeling pessimistic after Jenson Button could only qualify tenth, while Williams is yet to find the pace it boasted during pre-season testing.
Both have significant upgrades planned for Spain where they’ll hope to begin their recoveries.
Bahrain presents a unique challenge to Formula One – let’s find out how it handles the 2013 Bahrain Grand Prix.