Formula 1 season 2016 to start earlier

The latest version of the 2016 Formula 1 calendar has next season starting two weeks earlier than originally planned in Australia on March 20.

The Melbourne race was originally scheduled for April 3, the latest start to an F1 season in decades. But teams complained about the compressed schedule caused by trying to cram in a record 21 races.

Australia will be followed by Bahrain, China and Russia at two-week intervals, with the British Grand Prix on July 10, BBC reported on Wednesday.

The revised schedule for what was described as an "updated provisional calendar" - suggesting there could be further changes at a later date - was released following a meeting of F1's legislative body, the world motorsport council of governing body the FIA, on Wednesday.

The list also sees a date change for Malaysia, moving it two weeks apart from the Singapore race with which it had originally been twinned.

Singapore organisers objected to the races being back-to-back because they felt it would negatively affect their event to have another race so close geographically on the following weekend.

The season ends in Abu Dhabi on November 27 as originally scheduled.