While F1™ tries to get its act together, work is about to resume on the new Grand Prix track that is to be built in Bahrain.

FIA President Max Mosley was on hand to lay the foundation stone today: "We've been talking about having a grand prix in this region of the world and particularly in one of the deserts for more than 20 years," he told reporters.

"This circuit that is being planned out in the desert is one of the most exciting projects we have seen in Formula One™ for a long time," he continued, the irony of using excitement and F1™ in the same sentence clearly lost on him.

Work on the new state-of-the-art track will begin next month with the first Grand Prix scheduled for 2004. It's understood that the new circuit will cost an estimated £105m ($150m) to build.

"We are probably less than 48 hours away from awarding the construction contract," said circuit manager, Peter Hansen. "After that, the company who gets it will have to begin work within 28 days."

Exactly which race will be cut from the calendar to make way for the Bahrain event is unclear, however it's widely believed that the San Marino GP will be sacrificed as Bernie takes the sport into new (profitable) territories.

"Deciding which one we take the place of is not our problem," said Hansen. "That is for Bernie Ecclestone to decide. However we have a firm, long-term contract to stage Formula One."

One of the obvious problems facing the F1™ teams when they arrive in Bahrain is the sand, and how it can be prevented from blowing all over the track.

"We can apply a solution to the stand to make it stick together and stop it blowing about," said Hansen. "If we need to bring in grass and lay it by the side of the track, then we'll do that."

Of course they could always use it for ballast.

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