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Five F1 races to start earlier next season

Published 11:46 20 Jan 2015 GMT

Sean Nolan
Five F1 races to start earlier next season

Homemotorsports

Five of the non-European races will begin one hour earlier

We are just about to get into the most exciting time of the new F1 season as the 2015 cars are unveiled but before that fun, the FIA have announced new start times for five races. The changes come in the aftermath of the crash suffered by Jules Bianchi in Japan in October. The accident panel who examined the crash reported that they wanted all future races to start at least four hours before dusk was set to kick in. Fading light, along with heavy rain, were believed to have been a factor in Bianchi's collision with a recovery vehicle, an incident from which the driver remains in a critical condition in hospital. The new guideline means that races in Australia (main pic), Malaysia, China, Japan and Russia will start one hour earlier. The move does not affect the three floodlit races in Singapore, Abu Dhabi and Bahrain. Qualifying times will remain at more TV friendly hours for Australia. This may mean a few earlier starts for F1 fans and probably a dip in viewing figures for some of the races, but driver and spectator safety has to be the primary concern.

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