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MUMBAI: The Formula 1 action moves on to Malaysia this weekend after a fascinating season-opener in Melbourne. Lotus driver Kimi Raikkonen pulled off a remarkable victory at the Australian GP last week, employing a two pit stop strategy. He will be hoping to create an early gap at the top of the standings if he can claim back-to-back victories.
Red Bull driver Vettel finished third in Melbourne and will be one of the favourites at Sepang having won there in 2010 and 2011. Ferrari?s Fernando Alonso finished 12.4 seconds behind Raikkonen in second place at the F1 ROLEX Australian GP and will also be looking forward to Malaysia after taking the chequered flag last year. The pecking order at Sepang might change dramatically and it promises to be a fascinating race. Catch all the action LIVE on ESPN and ESPN HD.
Sahara Force India?s team started the 2013 F1 season on a positive note with the pair of Adrian Sutil and Paul di Resta recording a rare double points finish. This is the best ever start to a Formula 1 season for the team with Sutil and Resta finishing at seventh and eighth spot during the inaugural race at Albert Park. F1 fans across the country will be looking for a similar spirited performance from the Sahara Force India team during the F1 PETRONAS Malaysia Grand Prix scheduled on 22 - 24 March, 2013.
In order to make the F1 season more interesting for Indian fans, sports broadcaster ESPN STAR Sports has announced a slew of initiatives that include:
-- Award-winning commentary team: This year?s exciting coverage of the F1 will see the introduction of the award-winning SKY SPORTS F1 commentary team featuring Martin Brundle, known for his wit, insider knowledge, and the ability to simplify the sport without alienating hard core fans. David Croft, another very popular name in F1 commentary, joins him as co-commentator.
-- Expanded race coverage: In addition to the qualifying sessions and main race, this season?s broadcast will expand to also include all Practice sessions LIVE, so that fans don?t miss out on any of the F1 action!
-- Expanded high definition coverage: For the first time ever, fans will have high-definition access to the broadcast of the entire F1 season, which includes all LIVE races and different studio shows.
-- Total race immersion: This season will see the launch of a new online portal, an F1 Companion Site that will provide fans with an unparalleled viewing experience, with five additional feeds for deepest immersion into the races ever!
The online site will be available in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Nepal at http://live.starsports.com/f1.
-- Launch of brand new pre-race show: ESPN STAR Sports has launched a brand-new 30 minute race preview show titled ?Formula Friday? where Paula Malai Ali, together with former F1 driver Alex Yoong, will discuss highlights from the practice session, driver interviews and race analysis.
ESPN STAR Sports will showcase the most comprehensive LIVE television coverage of almost all races, and broadcast more than 280 hours of Formula One content with extensive coverage on its pre and post-race program, Race Day and Chequered Flag.
Catch all the F1 action this weekend like never before on ESPN and ESPN HD at the following times (in IST):
Saturday, March 23, 2013
Practice 3: 1025hrs - 1130hrs
Qualifying: 1320hrs
Sunday, March 24, 2013
Race: 1315hrs
