Formula 1 is being linked with returns to Istanbul and Jerez this November as it looks to complete the revised 2020 calendar.
Currently, 13 races have been announced, including comebacks for the Nurburgring and Imola as well as debuts for Mugello and Portimao.
This as F1 tries to secure at least 15 Grands Prix to meet the minimum required to earn full TV broadcast revenues and limit some of the financial impact from Covid-19.
As it stands that figure will be met with at least two Middle East races, Bahrain and Abu Dhabi, set for December, but there is currently room for two more events to take place across November.
Also Read:
- F1 expects 2021 season to be 'close to what we would have planned'
- Nurburgring, Imola hope 2020 returns won't be a one-off
F1 had initially hoped that gap could be filled with a doubleheader in the Far East, likely consisting of Vietnam and Malaysia, but now it appears travel restrictions will mean the sport is limited to Europe until its trip to the desert.
That has opened the pathway for the first Turkish Grand Prix in almost a decade at the highly-regarded Istanbul Park circuit.
Talks are underway with the current owners InterCity, and the track itself, despite being somewhat derelict for a few years now, is still thought to be in reasonable condition.
Another option being considered is Jerez in Spain which, like several circuits that F1 has turned to this year, has been pushing for a return to the calendar for a few years.
The venue last held a race back in 1997, that being the infamous finale between Michael Schumacher and Jacques Villeneuve, and hosted a winter test as recently as 2015.
F2 also held a standalone race at Jerez back in 2017 and has experience in hosting major motorsport during this Covid era after MotoGP began its season with two races at the track.
Should both get the go-ahead, that would bolster the F1 calendar to 17 races for 2020 and there might still be the option of a doubleheader in Bahrain too, taking the final number to 18.
