So it looks like we could be in for a condensed Formula 1™ season in 2016 with the Australian Grand Prix kicking off the season in April.
We thing its a great move and if it is back to back with China, well a quick stop off on the way home in Shanghai is very doable. Our packages will be on sale very soon and the official statement from the Australian Grand Prix website can be found below:
Melbourne will play host to the opening round of the 2016 FIA Formula One World Championship™ on Sunday 3 April, 2016 at Albert Park.
The 2016 Formula 1® Australian Grand Prix event dates are 31 March – 3 April, 2016, with the later start date set to condense the season, which finishes in November 2016.
Only once before has the Formula 1® Australian Grand Prix been held in April, in 2006, when the event was moved to avoid a clash with the Commonwealth Games. In that year the race took place on 2 April as the third round of the season.
The revised 2016 date will see the event follow Easter and take place after daylight savings, the absence of which will see the race start earlier in the day. A final start time will be announced closer to the 2016 event.
Australian Grand Prix Corporation CEO, Andrew Westacott welcomed the revised date, which he believes will benefit fans looking to attend the event.
“It’s fantastic that Melbourne will again play host to the opening round of the FIA Formula One World Championship™. Over the past 20 years Melbourne has become synonymous with the start of a new Formula One season, and we look forward to again welcoming all the teams and drivers to our great city in 2016,” Westacott said.
“The new date will see an earlier start time, and fans can expect the same great on-track action and off-track entertainment across the four days.”
A provisional 2016 FIA Formula One World Championship™ calendar will be released by Formula One Management (FOM) and the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) in due course.