- FIA news
Calendar set to stay at 19 races
A deal for the Turkish Grand Prix to return to the 2013 Formula One calendar has fallen through, according to a report.
The FIA amended the 2013 F1 calendar in order to open up a space for another European race in July, with Turkey the favourite to fill the slot. The race organisers were confident of securing the necessary funding from the government despite comments from the sports minister saying it wouldn't contribute towards the race fee.
However, the Turkish newspaper Hürriyet Daily News is now reporting that Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has decided against granting state funding, leading the deal to fall through.
Bernie Ecclestone has previously stated that he was only talking to Turkey about the race slot, and as a result the 2013 calendar looks set to remain at 19 races this season.