The Formula One season will start a week earlier in 2019, with the Australian Grand Prix announcing its race will take place on March 17.
The Melbourne race has been held on the penultimate weekend of March for the last two years but has been moved forward, to give the event space either side of the Moomba Festival and the start of the Australia Football League season. The AFL is the Australia's biggest sporting code and avoiding a clash with its opening weekend will have been a big motivation in moving the date.
While it avoids overlapping with AFL, the new date sits in line with the World Endurance Championship's race at Sebring.