Artam claims F1 deal close.

While his countryman Jason Tahincioglu will become the first man to drive a Formula One car when he takes to the track at Istanbul for demonstration laps aboard a Jordan Toyota, Turkish GP2 driver Can Artam has announced that he is close to agreeing a deal which will see him take on a third driver role in F1 next season.

Artam, who has scored two points this season alongside Scott Speed in the iSport line-up, was set to take part in a demonstration run himself in Istanbul, but instead elected to focus on his GP2 campaign, and on trying to agree a deal which will see him in F1 next season.

While the Crash.net supported driver says that a deal is now close, there has been no indication as to which team Artam has been in discussions with.

"We have been in touch with several teams since the beginning of the season and we have finally reached a point where I feel happy about the outcome," he said. "After careful consideration, we have decided to follow the advice of senior Formula One executives and do things properly rather than rush into a demonstration run which has no real value.

"This move is part of the program we devised a few years ago. This year I have been improving my times and getting closer to the top, race after race. There is no point in getting distracted by a show event; I am a racer and like any other racer I want to compete in Formula One, not just act as a Formula One driver.

"There has been a lot of speculation as to where I will be completing this program and at the moment the contract is being signed. As soon as it is finalised we will make an announcement. The only thing I can say now is that it will be a very competitive team."