FORMULA ONE has announced a return to Turkey as it completes a 17-race season in the Middle East.
Istanbul Park will host its first Grand Prix in nine years this winter before a double-header in Bahrain and season-closer in Abu Dhabi.
On Tuesday, F1 announced how it will cap off a wholly unique 2020 calendar with four final races.
Istanbul Park, located an hour east of Turkey’s bustling capital, is based in a secluded location that will help the sport maintain its stringent coronavirus protocols.
Likewise, Bahrain and Abu Dhabi are both common fixtures on the F1 circuit with the former’s March race cancelled as the pandemic began.
The announcement confirms the 2020 campaign will take place exclusively in Europe and the Middle East, with no trips to the Americas or Far East.
October races at Germany’s Nurburgring and iconic Italian track Imola will complete the European leg before the trip across the Bosporus.
Ailing Ferrari driver Sebastian Vettel may not be fancying another go around Istanbul Park, which was the home of his infamous crash with Red Bull teammate Mark Webber in 2010.
Of the current grid, Lewis Hamilton and Kimi Raikkonen have a victory apiece around the Turkish track with Vettel winning its most recent race back in 2011.
Disagreements over government funding awarded to the track saw it slip off the calendar.
Last year’s Bahrain and Abu Dhabi GPs were both won by Mercedes ace Hamilton, who leads the current championship rankings by 37 points.
