Turkish Grand Prix Tickets

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Turkish Grand Prix Tickets
TBA 2011 | Istanbul Park
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The Turkish Grand Prix - Istanbul Park

Location

Turkey is a unique country in that it stretches over two continents, lying between Europe and Asia. It borders with Greece and Bulgaria on one side, and with Iran and Iraq on the other. The nation has regularly been known as the gateway to Europe (or the gateway to Asia depending on your direction) and has one of the most ethnically rich cultures in the world. Most of the country is on the Asian side of the Bosphorus River with only four of its 81 provinces in Europe. The Istanbul race track is on the Asian side also. The circuit is only a half hour drive without traffic from the centre of Istanbul and is close to a brand new International Airport. There is little around the circuit itself but Istanbul offers an amazing history form over two thousand years of different culture. It used to be the capital of the Roman Empire and also the Ottoman Empire that ruled over the Persian Gulf and Eastern Europe for seven hundred years. Along with some significant museums and historical architecture the Bosphorus River provides amazing views of the picturesque city. Istanbul has been named as the European Capital of Culture for 2010.

Circuit Origins

Turkey is predominantly a Middle Eastern country but for almost forty years has been very keen to join the European Union. Negotiations advanced in the 21st century so in an effort to make Turkey more 'European' the Government decided to host a Grand Prix. Plans to construct a circuit began in 2002 and once the deal was finalised the track was designed by Herman Tilke. The purpose built road course came at enormous cost to taxpayers and was initially christened as the 'Istanbul Otodrom' in August 2005, just before the first Grand Prix to be held there.

Description

The concept that Herman Tilke adopted when designing Istanbul Park was different to usual as he wanted to make sure the circuit followed the line of the land rather than define it. The track therefore rises and falls throughout the lap and it is very rare the car will actually be travelling level. This makes the circuit attractive to TV and also to trackside spectators who can get a good view from several different places. The circuit features a number of high speed sections making it fairly rough on tyres, so Bridgestone will be taking their hardest compounds. Like most of the Tilke tracks there are opportunities for overtaking due to long straights leading into tight corners.

Racing History

There have only been five Turkish Grands Prix but Felipe Massa has dominated three of them with pole position and victory. The track is a challenge for the drivers and mistakes are far more common here than at other venues. Engines are put through a lot of strain and top speed is a critical factor which is partly why Ferrari has done well in the past. Luckily for the teams the long straights mean there is a lot of air cooling the components in the hot weather.

Driving Challenges

Whilst some drivers don't enjoy the track as much as others, they can all agree that that turn eight is one of the best corners anywhere in the world. The turn is actually four massive high speed kinks that join together and the cars scream through at 270kph. The driver has to get his line just right because when you're travelling at that speed, a little misjudgement at the start of the long corner will put you a long way off at the end. Drivers will pull 5G for over four seconds through the bends which is so physical that during practice drivers will purposely take it slower to reduce the strain. The track is very bumpy which adds to the challenge of turn eight, and almost every driver has run off the road there at some point.

What happened in 2009?

Jenson Button took his sixth win of the season after holding off Sebastian Vettel in the middle of the race when the Red Bull was running light. Vettel was upset not to get ahead of Button, but was infuriated when his Red Bull teammate got ahead of him as well.

Why Watch?

The Turkish Grand Prix is often exciting, partly because of the high speed challenge it offers and also because of the many mistakes it draws out of drivers. Schumacher and Raikkonen have both thrown away victories there with mistakes so more of the same can be expected throughout the field.

Memorable Moments

2005 : Both Williams cars suffered identical right rear tyre failures throughout the race and withdrew from the event, but not before Mark Webber took Schumacher out of contention with a collision.

2006 : Fisichella intentionally spun his Renault at turn one in to avoid slamming into his teammate, sparking a mid field panic that damaged six other cars.

2007 : Mark Webber was the only retirement in the race meaning the Grand Prix holds the record for the highest number of finishers. If only one driver was going to retire, there is no surprise that it was Webber.

2008 : Giancarlo Fisichella's Force India took to the air at the first corner after making contact with Kazuki Nakajima. It was Giancarlo's third straight accident at the start in Istanbul.