Sepang changes start time to 4pm

Organisers of the Malaysian Grand Prix are pleased to announce that the start time of next year's race will be earlier than the first 'twilight' Grand Prix at the track this season. After starting at 5pm local time as opposed to its previous times of 2pm or 3pm, the late afternoon race proved a washout and was stopped permanently after just 31 of the 56 laps.

With April being the month for the highest amount of rainfall in the region and the usual late afternoon monsoons saturating the track surface, the 2009 Malaysian Grand Prix at Sepang for forever be remembered for its spectacular thunderstorm and is the reason half points are seen in this season's championship standings.

With this in mind, organisers have successfully changed the starting time for next year's race to 4pm (GMT +8); with a Grand Prix's maximum time being 2 hours, it is now unlikely that the late afternoon heavy showers will affect the race although rain is always a possibility in Kuala Lumpur.

"Of course, it would have been even better if we stuck to the time we've always had," Razlan Razali, CEO of the Sepang International Circuit, told Singapore's Today newspaper. "We are not keen on a night race but we now have a good compromise and are happy that it won't start later."

Source: GP Update