It has been decided Sunday's event at Melbourne's Albert Park will start at 3.30pm, rather than 2pm, to attract a larger television audience across Europe and Asia.
If that proves a success, organisers may then start next year's grand prix at 5pm in the hope that will appease Ecclestone, who has long called for the race to become a night-time event, or run the risk of losing their contract beyond 2010.
Australian Grand Prix Corporation chairman Ron Walker said: "If starting the race later this year increases the television audience around the world, as we believe it will, we'll seek a 5pm start for the 2009 race.
"That will mean a 7am start time for the television coverage in Europe, finishing at about 8.40am; a 6am start time in the UK, finishing at about 7.40am; and an afternoon start and finish across the Asian continent where there are potentially hundreds of millions of extra viewers.
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