Categories: F1 News, Reports and Race ResultsFormula 1

Australian Grand Prix to kick off 2016 season in April

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The 2016 F1 season will kick off in April next year as the Australian Grand Prix has undergone a change of schedule which will see the race take place on April 3.

Aussie organizers were awarded the date by FOM, which preserves the Albert Park event's traditional season-opener status on the F1 calendar, in order to establish a more "condensed' overall race season.

"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," commented Australina Grand Prix Chief Executive Andrew Westacott. "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."

The event will now be positioned after the Easter holiday period and when the southern Australian states end their daylight saving time period which will indeed force an earlier start to the race.

It is believed that FOM's reshuffling of dates and the subsequent more compact schedule has been decided in an attempt to reduce traveling costs for team and personnel, although there's also been speculation that the initiative is also an attempt to sway teams into agreeing to an increase in the number of overall races.

The last time a F1 season got underway in April was back in 1988 when Brazil kick-started a year ruled by McLaren dominance when the Woking outfit won all but one Grand Prix that year.

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.