Australian Grand Prix organizers are happy with the date assigned for their 2010 race, despite having lost the slot as season-opener.
The Melbourne event, which has traditionally been the first round of the championship, will be held on March 28, two weeks after the season kicks off in Bahrain. However, organizers said in a statement on Tuesday Melbourne had "secured the date it wanted."
"Achieving a worldwide audience of more than 100 million viewers illustrates the power of the grand prix in promoting Melbourne on the global stage," said Australian Grand Prix Corporation Chief Executive Officer Drew Ward. "All eyes will be on Melbourne to see how Aussie hero Mark Webber performs on home ground and how the new teams take on the Albert Park Circuit.
"This is the best of all worlds from a promoter's point of view – Melbourne will attract worldwide media attention early in the season and we can leverage off the first race action in promoting the Australian Grand Prix at Albert Park."