The addition of Bulgaria to the F1 calendar could mean the end of the sport’s Hungarian and Turkish rounds.
That is the claim of organiser and Bulgarian motor racing official Bogdan Nikolov, who said this week that a contract for a debut race in 2012 could be signed as soon as next month.
The news follows a scandal earlier this year, when Abu Dhabi investors reportedly reacted furiously to funding claims about the Bulgarian event.
But Nikolov insists the Arab investors are still interested in the project, suggesting that the scandal was more due to "competitive" interests.
"If there is formula one grand prix in Sofia, there won’t be races on Istanbul Park (in Turkey) and (the) Hungaroring. We will be the only grand prix in eastern Europe," he told the Sofia news agency Novinite.