The FIA GT1 World Championship kicked off on 17 April at the Yas Marina circuit in Abu Dhabi with six brands and twenty-four cars lined up at the starting line.

The reigning champions, the Maserati MC12s, were in the centre spotlight, even if they are slightly penalized in terms of performance by new FIA GT technical modifications.

One of the major changes is the race formula itself, with two separate sprint-type one-hour races instead of a single two-hour race.

This year Maserati will participate with four cars manned by two racing teams. Michael Bartels and Andrea Bertolini, winners of the driver title for the past two years running, will be driving Vitaphone Racing Team's first Maserati MC12 once again, while Miguel Ramos and ex-F1 driver Enrique Bernoldi are confirmed at the wheel of the second MC12.

The other MC12s are from the German racing team Triple H Team Hegersport and will be driven by Belgian driver Bert Longin and Italian driver Matteo Bobbi (who has raced with an MC12 in the past) in addition to the team's owner, Alftid Heger, paired up with Alex Margaritis, a German driver of Greek origin.

There will be ten championship rounds, four of which outside Europe, and the championship will conclude in Argentina on 5 December.