FORMULA One will return to the BBC from the 2009 season after the corporation secured a five-year TV rights deal, it has been announced.
Twelve years after ITV won the rights and began broadcasting the sport, the BBC has managed to bring Formula One back in a major coup for the organisation.
Bernie Ecclestone, chief executive of Formula One Administration Ltd, said: "I'm delighted to conclude this new deal with the BBC.
"I wish to thank ITV for their commitment to Formula One and the high quality of their coverage.
"It's an exciting time in Formula One, and the BBC has some innovative new ideas to consolidate and expand our UK fan base."
BBC Sport director of sport rights Dominic Coles said on BBC Sport on-line: "The biggest motorsport event in the world is returning home.
"We were delighted when Bernie Ecclestone approached us about the return of F1 to the BBC.
"F1 is a crown jewel of sports broadcasting, so to bring the rights back to their traditional home from 2009 is tremendously exciting.
"Fans will be able to enjoy uninterrupted, state-of-theart, innovative coverage from BBC Sport across all our TV, radio and new media platforms, for the first time since 1996."
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