Well, day-night racing works in Charlotte

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates – This year's Abu Dhabi Grand Prix will be Formula One's first experiment with a day-to-night transition.

The race will begin Sunday in the twilight at 5 p.m. local time and finish in the early evening. Lights will be on from the start of the race to ease the transition and not create a sudden change in viewing conditions.

Drivers are confident that there will not be a repeat of the opening race of the season in Australia, when the race finished at dusk and the drivers complained of sunset glare and a rapid cooling of track temperature which greatly reduced grip levels late in the race.

"I don't think there will be any problems," Ferrari driver Kimi Raikkonen said. "It might look a little bit different at some point when the sun disappears, but the lights — at least in Singapore — were so good that you hardly see the difference between day and night."

Track temperature in the desert heat of Abu Dhabi should also allay the effects of evening cooling.

"In Australia, the track temperatures were different," Renault driver Fernando Alonso said. "The track temperature at the start of the race will maybe be 50 degrees (122 degrees Fahrenheit), so it will never be cool enough to give you problems warming up the tires."

ABU DHABI FACELIFT: The arrival of Formula One in Abu Dhabi is part of an ambitious effort to transform the emirate from an oil-rich enclave of little international profile into a financial, cultural and entertainment center.

The man charged with making it happen is Khaldoon al Mubarak, managing director of Mubadala — Abu Dhabi's government-run business development company.

The Formula One race is being staged on Yas Island, a man-made island that will also host giant theme parks, including one run by Ferrari, and other entertainment hubs. Other islands off the coast will host more refined activities, with the Louvre and Guggenheim museums setting up operations, along with the Paris-Sorbonne university.

But the jewel in the crown is Formula One, which attracts massive global television audiences and will provide Abu Dhabi with its craved name recognition.

That rationale also prompted the investment in English Premier League football club Manchester City, where al Mubarak is chairman.

"We wanted to bring the best event that it out there to Abu Dhabi and that is what we got," al Mubarak said. "It has everything. It is more than a sport, it is a grand occasion.

"Of course we want to show what we can do to the rest of the world but this is for the people of Abu Dhabi."

Organizers said tickets for Sunday's race had sold out at a circuit that had already brought admiration from teams. It delivers unprecedented levels of luxury and features, including a section of track that passes beneath a hotel lobby, run-off areas under grandstands and a functioning marina abutting the paddock.

But if the teams think it looks good for this year's inaugural event, they can expect further improvements for the 2010 race.

"We will progress with the facilities at the track and we need to keep getting more people here involved," al Mubarak said.

LOFTY LOTUS: Lotus, one of the new teams for 2010, filled in a significant part of its team Friday with the appointment of a chief executive.

Riad Asmat, formerly general manager of Malaysian carmaker Proton, will take the key job.

"Riad's expertise, which is a good blend of both corporate experience and motor sports knowledge, will provide the dynamic and success-oriented leadership that the Malaysian team requires," team principal Tony Fernandes said.

Proton, which owns the rights to the historical F1 name Lotus, is a partner in the new team, along with the Malaysian government.

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