Formula 1
Ecclestone orders changes to Australian GP
Mr Bernie Ecclestone, Chairman of Formula One Management, announced today that major changes to the format of the Australian Grand Prix would be possible following the result of decisions taken at a recent meeting of Formula One promoters and ...
Published: Nov 20, 2003, 4:51 PM
Copy link
Share on Viber
Mr Bernie Ecclestone, Chairman of Formula One Management, announced today that major changes to the format of the Australian Grand Prix would be possible following the result of decisions taken at a recent meeting of Formula One promoters and ratified by the F1 Commission.
Mr Ecclestone said the F1 Commission had approved an increase to the pit lane speed limit. The limit, raised to 100kmh, will apply to all FIA Formula One World Championship venues from the beginning of 2004.
In addition, Melbourne's Australian Grand Prix circuit has now been instructed to straighten, and thus substantially shorten, its pit lane entry - a move that will make its event a three-pitstop race for competitors.
Mr Ecclestone also revealed that investigations were underway by Formula One Management (FOM) and the world governing body of motor sport, the Federation Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) that will allow faster refuelling of F1 cars during pit stops.
It is anticipated that the changes to Melbourne's pit entry and the increase in the pit lane speed will cut three to five seconds off the length of pit stops.
Quicker refuelling could increase the emphasis on team strategy that plays such a crucial and exciting role in Grand Prix racing today. Time saving tactics such as faster refuelling stops will heighten the strategic battle between the leading teams such as Ferrari, Williams, McLaren, Renault and Jaguar - and the world's top drivers, including six-time world champion Michael Schumacher, Juan Pablo Montoya, Kimi Raikkonen, Fernando Alonso and Australian star Mark Webber.
Traditionally the leading drivers and teams have made only two pit stops during the Australian GP. The changes announced toady could put this up to three further adding to the excitement and drama of the race.
The FIA and its Australian affiliate, the Confederation of Australian Motor Sport, have approved the changes to the track layout.
Mr Ecclestone said new F1 rules introduced in 2003 had already made the sport much more competitive and exciting to the fans and millions of television viewers around the world. He added that the latest moves demonstrated an on-going commitment to exciting racing.
-ausgp-
We want your opinion!
What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?
Take our 5 minute survey.
- The Motorsport.com Team
Read and post comments
Read also :
Share Or Save This Story
Copy link
Share on Viber
Previous article Theissen confident of Montoya commitment
Next article Future of Canadian GP secured
Top Comments
There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?
View More & Comment
More from
Juan Pablo Montoya
Team Penske and Chevrolet announce multi-year extension of IndyCar partnership
IndyCar
IndyCar
Team Penske and Chevrolet announce multi-year extension of IndyCar partnership
Juan Pablo Montoya admires Franco Colapinto's "aggressive" approach despite Baku crash
Formula 1
Formula 1
Azerbaijan GP
Juan Pablo Montoya admires Franco Colapinto's "aggressive" approach despite Baku crash
Williams tipped for "huge step" forward at Azerbaijan GP with major upgrade
Formula 1
Formula 1
Spanish GP
Williams tipped for "huge step" forward at Azerbaijan GP with major upgrade
More from
Ferrari
Fred Vasseur "not sure" if Red Bull is currently F1's best team
Formula 1
Formula 1
Singapore GP
12 h
Fred Vasseur "not sure" if Red Bull is currently F1's best team
Charles Leclerc admits he missed a chance against Max Verstappen – but not the obvious one
Formula 1
Formula 1
Singapore GP
Charles Leclerc admits he missed a chance against Max Verstappen – but not the obvious one
Latest news
Spy shots of 2027 NASCAR Ford Mustang testing at Charlotte, but what's different?
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup
Charlotte II
54 min
Spy shots of 2027 NASCAR Ford Mustang testing at Charlotte, but what's different?
Five key takeaways from F1's big African Grand Prix reveal in Rwanda
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1 1 h
Five key takeaways from F1's big African Grand Prix reveal in Rwanda
Niels Koolen makes switch to Abel Motorsports ahead of 2027 Indy NXT campaign
Indy NXT
IndL Indy NXT 3 h
Niels Koolen makes switch to Abel Motorsports ahead of 2027 Indy NXT campaign
GT World Challenge Portimao: All you need to know about season finale featuring Max Verstappen
GT World Challenge Europe Endurance
WCEE GT World Challenge Europe Endurance 3 h
GT World Challenge Portimao: All you need to know about season finale featuring Max Verstappen
Feature
Discover prime content
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.
Subscribe now Already subscribed? Sign in here
Already disabled your adblocker?
Reload page
Manage Alerts
Subscribe