Bahrain Grand Prix could be night race this season

The race, which takes place a fortnight after the season opener in Melbourne on 8 April, has been staged at twilight – starting at dusk and finishing under floodlights – in recent seasons.

But it is understood F1’s American owners Liberty Media want the grand prix to take place at 20h00 local time (17h00 CET) in the hope of attracting a wider TV audience.

Liberty, which is overseeing its second season at the helm of the sport following its takeover last January, has also proposed pushing a number of European races back by one hour in the hope of drawing in more fans.

For the first time ever, there will be three races on consecutive weekends – the returning French Grand Prix, and the Austrian and British Grands Prix – to avoid any major clashes with this summer’s World Cup.

The race in France could also start at 16h00, two hours later than traditional European events, to avoid going head-to-head with England’s World Cup group match against Panama on 24 June.