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McLaren CEO Zak Brown is in disagreement with Oscar Piastri over the Australian Grand Prix as the 2026 F1 season starts this weekend
McLaren CEO Zak Brown admits he would welcome the Australian Grand Prix becoming a night race – a stance one of his drivers, Oscar Piastri, opposes. The idea of altering the Aussie GP start time has long been discussed in Formula One.
The season-opening race in Melbourne currently starts at 3pm AEDT (4am for UK viewers and 11pm in New York). There has previously been pressure from stakeholders to shift the race Down Under to night-time so it is better suited to TV audiences – particularly in Europe and North America.
And Brown has shared, while speaking via the Daily Mail, that he would welcome a night race in Australia. The American reckons there are not enough races under the lights.
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He said: “It [the grand prix] would be cool under lights. I think it would be cool. I like night racing.
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“In general, I don’t think we have enough night races and I think that race in particular [would work] because the weather is always good, it’s a beautiful setting and I think it would look good under lights.”
Brown’s perspective starkly contrasts with Piastri’s. The Aussie, who secured third place in the Drivers’ Championship last season, prefers his home Grand Prix to remain a daytime race. The 24-year-old said: “I think it is nice the way it is.
McLaren’s Zak Brown wants more F1 night races(Image: Bryn Lennon – Formula 1, Formula 1 via Getty Images)
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“It is obviously better when it is sunny, but I don’t think it needs to be under lights.
“We’ve got a lot of races now that are night races, I think certainly for us as drivers, often the atmosphere is actually better during the day because you can see the fans a lot more, a lot of the grandstands at some night races can be quite dark.
“Even in Melbourne, you see the skyline and everything, so I am happy with the way it is.”
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The action at Albert Park begins on Friday with practice, followed by qualifying a day later and then the race itself on Sunday.
McLaren will be aiming to defend their Constructors’ title this season, whilst Lando Norris is targeting a second consecutive Driver’s Championship title.
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