F1 announces changes to race start times for 2018
Formula 1 has unveiled a new race weekend schedule for the 2018 season, with plans to hold races at a later timescale.
F1’s owners Liberty Media has been closely analysing the sport’s strengths and weaknesses since its successful takeover last year – and has looked at a solution to increase TV audiences on a race day.
Races will now begin at 10 minutes past the hour, in a bid to aid certain TV broadcasters who begin their coverage precisely on the hour, therefore, missing the pre-race build-up to a grand prix.
A second amendment to the schedule is to races held in Europe and Brazil. Each session from practice on Friday, through to the race itself on Sunday, will move back one hour from its original time slot.
The French Grand Prix will start at 4:10pm to avoid clashing with England’s World Cup match against Panama.
A statement on the Official Formula 1 website read: “There are two main changes to 2017’s structure. The first is that on Sunday the race will start at ten minutes past the hour.
“Some broadcasters usually go on air precisely on the hour, hence missing the tension and emotion that characterize the minutes before the start of each Grand Prix.
“Thanks to this change, television viewers will be brought closer to the teams and the drivers and fully enjoy the spectacle offered just before the red lights go out.
“The second change is to the European and Brazilian race weekends. Research has indicated that a wider TV audience is reachable later in the afternoons, especially in the summer months.
“Consequently, it has been decided to move the schedule of every session back by one hour across the whole weekend for each of the above-mentioned Grands Prix.”