Turkey Announce a 7-Year F1 Contract

Organisers of the planned Turkish Grand Prix claimed on Saturday to have signed a seven-year contract to take Formula One to a new track in Istanbul from 2005.

The deal is said to have been signed with the sport's commercial rights holder Bernie Ecclestone in London on Friday.

Mumtaz Tahincioglu, the chief of Turkey's Automobile and Motor Sports Federation, said: "With this contract, all of the formalities are finished for a race to take place in Turkey."

Races in China and Bahrain will both appear on the calendar for the first time next year with Canada and Austria expected to be the two events to make way for the new venues.

The expected return of the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps will boost the calendar up to 17 events and if Turkey makes it onto the calendar for 2005 another is likely to be forced to make way.

The Turkish authorities plan to complete their £38 million (Pounds) circuit, on the outskirts of Istanbul, by the end of March in 2005 and they insist they will complete it on schedule.

The groundbreaking ceremony for the track is scheduled to take place in September after being delayed from its planned July date because of red tape and environmental concerns.