JANUARY 25, 2002

F1 to sidestep football clash

FORMULA 1 cars are to qualify earlier than normal for the European Grand Prix on June 22 - to avoid the session clashing with quarter-finals of the soccer World Cup. Qualifying normal starts at 1300 CET (two hours ahead of GMT) but the session will start 45 minutes earlier and will be finished by 1215 GMT so as not to clash with the matches in Japan which will take place in the evening Japanese time.

The battle for TV ratings will thus not be an issue.

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