JULY 28, 2006

Australia claims opening race

The Australian Grand Prix says it will open next year's FIA Formula 1 World Championship on March 18. This makes no sense at all. The date clashes with the opening weekend of the World Swimming Championships in the city, something which would have been best to avoid, and it is a full two weeks later than the normal opening race of the race. Since 1995 the series has always started in the first fortnight in March and usually in the first week. The last time there was a start as late as March 18 was in 1995 when the season kicked off in Brazil on March 26. That year there were 17 races and the calendar went on into the middle of November.

There are a number of interesting points about the calendar we have been hearing in recent days. It is worth noting that Bahrain is advertising events on every weekend in March, an odd thing to do unless the track is planning to cancel some of them to make way for the Grand Prix. There have also been rumours about the future of the Malaysian race, with suggestions that the race might be dropped and be replaced by a Pacific Grand Prix at Suzuka.