Despite criticism from many drivers, it appears that races held at twilight will continue to form part of the Formula One calendar in the future.
Races in Australia and Malaysia started at 5pm local time this year in order to be broadcast at a more suitable hour in Europe.
The 5pm starts are three hours later than in previous years, a move that means the races are shown in the early morning in Europe rather than the middle of the night, and Bernie Ecclestone believes the rescheduling has been a success.
"All our TV up to now has been up 300 per cent," Eccelstone told The Independent.
 "We have been getting more than 50 per cent of the market share," he added.
Eccelstone also moved to allay fears that the inaugural Abu Dhabi GP later could be threatened by delays in the construction of the Yas Marina Circuit.
 "It will be done on time," explained a confident Ecclestone.
The United Arab Emirates may not be the only new addition to the F1 calendar, with South Korea already confirmed as a host for 2010 and the Formula One supremo admits he would like to see a race take place in the United States, preferably "something in New York or California," said the Brit.
PLANETF1.COM
Log in to comment