AUSTRALIAN GP DATE SET

Australian Grand Prix date all but locked in – Photo: LAT

Another piece of the 2020 Supercars calendar puzzle is in place, with the date for the Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix all but locked in.

By MARK FOGARTY

AUTO ACTION’s F1 sources reveal that the teams have been told the AGP will retain its traditional ‘pole position’ as next year’s first race on March 15.

That’s no real surprise as this year’s event at Albert Park in Melbourne moved to the same middle weekend of March, getting in before the start of the AFL season.

AGP organisers have apparently convinced F1 commercial rights-holder Liberty Media that staging the event before the AFL competition begins is better for business and media coverage.

It means Supercars will appear from March 12-15 in the third year of championship-status races at the AGP.

Already confirmed is that the 2020 Supercars championship will start earlier at the Adelaide 500 from February 20-23, leaving a three-week gap to the AGP.

The Australian GP will be three weeks after the Adelaide 500 – Photo: InSyde Media

The teams will applaud the longer break between the season-starting marquee events – unless the visit to Symmons Plains is slotted in from March 6-8.

Next year’s Supercars championship is set to be reduced to 14 events in a split season with a long winter break.

This year’s series was cut back from 16 to 15 events as teams demanded a reduction to save on costs.

Symmons Plains has already had its future confirmed with a long-term deal.

With the return of the Sydney Motorsport Park night racing round, the scaled-backed schedule casts doubt on the renewals of Phillip Island and Winton.

However, new agreements with the three Queensland events are still to be finalised, which is why the announcement of the 2020 calendar has been delayed until mid-July.

Next year’s Australian GP is set to start a revised F1 season with as many as 23 races.

There is the new Vietnam GP and the return of the Dutch GP at Zandvoort, while the British and Spanish GPs are seeking renewals.

However, the latter are no certainties to remain on the calendar, with Liberty looking to drop at least one European race.

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