Melbourne: The Formula One season will start later in 2016 with the opening race in Australia pushed back to April, organisers said on Wednesday.

The Melbourne Grand Prix will maintain its traditional opening slot on the calendar but will be run on April 3 to "condense the season", which will end in November. It normally gets under way in mid-March. The revised date will see the Australian event follow Easter and take place after daylight savings, which means it will also start earlier in the day, although a final time has yet to be announced.