Australia 2008: not season opener, not a night race.

[Dave B]

Not much more I can add to that apart from a link:
http://www.itv-f1.com/News_Article.aspx?PO_ID=40151

[ShiftingGears]

Agh! Should be the season opener! On a better note at least the V8 supercars are racing there on the same weekend next year.

[punkologist]

Agh! Should be the season opener! On a better note at least the V8 supercars are racing there on the same weekend next year.

Yep the V8's are a huge plus for the race weekend, will bring the crowds back.

I can't wait for it. I'm going to buy tickets for the grandstand at turn 1 this time.

The night race idea, while i would like to see it, is a little impractical for the Melbourne race, the local hippies and tea drinkers in Albert park would riot I reckon :) They are still protesting every year now about the race and its more than 10 years on!

The second race is not too bad, gives the teams a little time to adjust from any failures in their first outing and make for a better race. Being a Melbourne boy, I don't really care when it's on, as long as its on in Melbourne!

[ioan]

Better this way, maybe there will be a better chance to get rain for the F1 race.

[V12]

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/61095

I don't understand having the race later - according to Autosport it's to cater for European TV viewers, but I don't get their logic, how is staying up even later more convenient? They honestly don't expect people to have an *early* night on a Saturday and wake up at 5.30am do they?! :eek:

[Rollo]

Boo hoo hoo. Viewers in Asia and especially Australia and NZ have been watching races at stupid o'clock for years.

What this means is that if they start the race at 3:30pm then a 2 hour telecast will end at 5:30pm and cut right into the Channel 10 news. Channel 10 "your home of motorsport" haven't shown a live GP since they got the rights.
Expect Australian viewers to watch their owm ****ing GP at 11:30 night because Channel 10 still won't be able to extract the digit.

On the upside, those foolish plans for a night race have been quelled. What numpty thought up that? That's a recipe for someone to be seriously hurt. F1 cars aren't equipped with lights.

[Schultz]

They have aired some of the North American races live in the past i'm sure.

[ShiftingGears]

Better this way, maybe there will be a better chance to get rain for the F1 race.

I don't see how. And I don't like the fact that its being put off to suit people in another time zone since they have the money. Especially since, as Rollo said, we often have to get up at stupid o'clock to watch races. Bernies comments about putting it off to suit Europe made him sound punchably arrogant.

[Mark]

4.30am instead of 3am, doesn't make a lot of difference really!

[janneppi]

3:30 pm isn't that bad, european races start 3 pm(Finnish time) and i wouldn't mind if they began two hours later.

I generally sleep through the Asian races anyways.

[AndyRAC]

Whats the meaning of this, in 2006 when Bahrain opened the season it seemed low key, Melbourne is far more high profile. As for the time change, why? The reason they give just doesn't wash,...