MARCH 30, 2003

Turkey on the brink of an F1 deal

Turkey is believed to be close to announcing a deal to host a Grand Prix at a completely new circuit near Istanbul. The new facility will be close to the new Pendik-Kurtkoy Airport, on the eastern side of Istanbul. The Sabiha Goksen Airport is built on 1600 acre site close to the main highway from Istanbul and within easy reach of the city and Istanbul's population of 15m should mean that big crowds will be attracted to the event.

The logic behind the location is similar to that in Malaysia as there will no issues with noise.

The only major flaw in the project is that the track will be in one of the most earthquake-prone regions.

In November last year circuit designer Hermann Tilke visited the site and is expected to unveil a design shortly. Construction work will be funded by the Istanbul Chamber of Commerce and work is due to begin in April with the aim being to finish the new facility by September 2004. The intention is for there to be a race in 2005. The race will be organized by TOMSFED, the Turkish national sporting authority.