Istanbul Park

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Coordinates: 40°57′6″N 29°24′18″E / 40.95167°N 29.40500°E / 40.95167; 29.40500

Intercity Istanbul Park
Istanbulpark.png
Official logo of Intercity Istanbul Park
Istanbul park.svg
LocationTuzla, Istanbul, Turkey
Time zoneUTC+3
Capacity125,000[1]
FIA Grade1
Broke groundSeptember 2003
OpenedAugust 2005
ArchitectHermann Tilke[2]
Major eventsFormula One
Turkish Grand Prix (2005–2011, 2020–present)
MotoGP Turkish motorcycle Grand Prix (2005–2007)
FIA WTCC Race of Turkey (2005–2006)
Le Mans Series 1000 km Istanbul (2005–2006)
World Superbike (2013)
World RX of Turkey (2014–2015)
Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters (2005)
FIA GT Championship Istanbul 2 Hours (2005)
Grand Prix Circuit (2005–present)
Length5.338 km (3.317 mi)
Turns14
Race lap record1:24.770 (Colombia Juan Pablo Montoya, McLaren-Mercedes, 2005[3])
Intermediate Circuit
Length3.925 km (2.439 mi)
Turns13
Websiteintercitypark.com

Intercity Istanbul Park (Turkish: İstanbul Park), also known as the Istanbul Racing Circuit or initially as the Istanbul Otodrom, is a motor sports race track in the Tuzla district of Istanbul, Turkey. It was designed by the well-known racetrack architect Hermann Tilke and was inaugurated on 21 August 2005. It has been called "the best race track in the world" by former Formula One Chief Executive Bernie Ecclestone, who held the managing rights of the circuit between 2007 and 2011.[4][5][6] The circuit has been currently managed by the Turkish company Intercity since 2012.[7]

Description[]

The venue of the Turkish Grand Prix is located in the crossing of boundaries of Pendik and Tuzla districts on the Asian side of Istanbul, close to the junction of Kurtköy on the north side of the O–4 motorway, linking Istanbul to Ankara. It is near Sabiha Gökçen International Airport and is surrounded by forests and fields.

Istanbul Park is in a rural area and is paved with tarmac. It has large concrete and gravel run-off areas, large grandstands and a substantial pit building and paddock.
Aerial view of Istanbul Park

The Istanbul Park racing circuit was one of only five circuits running anticlockwise in the 2011 Formula One season, the others being Autódromo José Carlos Pace (used for the Brazilian Grand Prix), the Marina Bay Street Circuit (used for the Singapore Grand Prix), the Korea International Circuit (used for the Korean Grand Prix) and the Yas Marina Circuit (used for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix). This unusual anti-clockwise layout leads to increased strain on the other side of the driver's neck than they would experience at most other circuits, especially through the long high-speed left-hander at turn 8.[8]

The circuit is 5.338 km (3.317 mi) long, with an average width of 15 m (49 ft) ranging from 14 to 21.5 m (46 to 71 ft), and covers over 2.215 million square metres (547 acres). With a total of 14 corners, the sharpest with a radius of merely 15 m (49 ft), the circuit runs over four different ground levels with a start/finish straight over 650 m (2,133 ft) in length. The total race distance of the Turkish Grand Prix is 309.356 km (192.225 mi) over 58 laps.

Start of the 2005 Turkish Grand Prix, the first Formula One race at Istanbul Park.

The track has capacity for approximately 125,000 spectators. The main grandstand has a seating capacity of 25,000 spectators, with natural ground stands and temporary stands allowing for around 100,000 more people. The paddock buildings are two-level structures; the ground floor reserved for racing teams, the upper floor serving as hospitality areas, with an additional viewing capacity of 5,000 seats. At each end of the paddock, there are two 7-story VIP towers.

Another view of the circuit from above

Turn 8 (nicknamed "Diabolica" by some in reference to Monza's Curva Parabolica) particularly caught the imagination. The corner is a fast, sweeping corner with four apexes, similar to one of the multi-apex sections of the old Nürburgring. Spectators and drivers alike raved about Turn 8, comparing it to legendary corners such as Eau Rouge and 130R. The corner eventually became the basis of some of Tilke's newer track turns, such as turns 17 and 18 at the Circuit of the Americas, turn 3 at the Sochi Autodrom, and Buddh International Circuit's turns 10 to 11. The high loads exerted through this corner contribute to the circuit's reputation for rapid tyre wear.[9]

Another notable corner is Turn 1, a sharp downhill left-hander immediately after the front straight. This corner has been nicknamed by some as the "Turkish Corkscrew" in reference to the famous Corkscrew at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. Both the 2006 F1 and MotoGP races at the circuit featured multiple incidents at this corner. A third noteworthy area is the uphill kink in the middle of the back straight; due to its similarity to Eau Rouge, it has been jokingly referred to as "Faux Rouge".

The circuit is not, however, without its critics. After qualifying, Jenson Button claimed that the track was getting bumpier as the weekend went on, particularly at Turn 8, which was what caused so many drivers to spin off. This harks back to another circuit designed by Hermann Tilke, Shanghai International Circuit, which is said to be sinking in places because it was built on the site of a former swamp. Jarno Trulli was notable for his lukewarm feeling towards the circuit, saying that he felt the circuit was easy to learn, and that good performance was down more to the car than the driver.[10]

Major motorsport events[]

A view of the start-finish line
A view of the main grandstand
A view of the pit lane
A view of the pit lane exit

Formula One[]

Main article: Turkish Grand Prix

The first Grand Prix of Turkey took place in 2005. Due to financial disagreement, the last Turkish Grand Prix took place in 2011, despite earlier reports that the event would take place until at least 2021.[4] The top speed measured of an F1 car measured by the speed trap was 329.5 km/h (204.8 mph) in 2005. F1 cars equipped with the smaller 2.4-litre V8 engines (instead of the 3.0-litre V10s of previous years) reached 320 km/h (200 mph) in 2006. Felipe Massa has an affinity with this circuit, with the Brazilian winning three of the eight Grands Prix held at Istanbul Park with Lewis Hamilton winning two and Sebastian Vettel, Jenson Button and Kimi Räikkönen having won one race apiece.

Istanbul Park returned for the 2020 Formula One World Championship, after a nine-year absence.[11]

Istanbul Park was due to replace the cancelled Canadian Grand Prix for the 2021 Formula One World Championship.[12] It would be postponed indefinitely due to Covid-19 travel restrictions imposed on the country by the UK government and would be replaced by the Styrian Grand Prix.[13] It was later re-added to the calendar in place of the cancelled Singapore Grand Prix.

GP2[]

In 2006, the winner of the GP2 race was Nelson Piquet, Jr., however the real battle was with Lewis Hamilton who, at the beginning of the race, spun off and dropped right down the field from 2nd to 16th. However he raced his way back through the pack with some spectacular overtaking moves to finish in second.

Fifteen racers completed the race in 2009 while eleven drivers were not classified. The winner was Russian Vitaly Petrov of Barwa Addax, who moved up to second place in the championship table with 29 points ahead of Jérôme d'Ambrosio having 18 points. Petrov's teammate Romain Grosjean, who retired from the race, leading the championship with 31 points. The Italians Luca Filippi of Super Nova Racing and Davide Valsecchi of Durango finished second and third.

MotoGP[]

Main article: Turkish motorcycle Grand Prix

MotoGP raced at Istanbul Park for three years between 2005 and 2007. Marco Melandri won the races in 2006 and 2007 with the 2005 race being won by Casey Stoner.

Other events[]

From 2005 to 2007, Istanbul Park hosted the FIA World Touring Car Championship (2005 and 2006), Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters (2005), FIA GT Championship (2005), Le Mans Series (2005 and 2006), as well as the International GT Open (2006), World Series by Renault (2006) and the Formula-G.

World RX layout of Istanbul Park, used in 2014-2015
2015 World RX of Turkey race in Istanbul Park

The first leg of the 2012 FIA European Truck Racing Championship was held on 13 May 2012 at Istanbul Park.[14] The Superbike World Championship raced at the track in 2013. The FIA World Rallycross Championship has organized the World RX of Turkey at Istanbul Park in 2014 and 2015, using an area to the outside of turns 12, 13, 14.

Lap records[]

The official race lap records at the Intercity Istanbul Park are listed as:

Category Time Driver Vehicle Event
Formula One 1:24.770 Colombia Juan Pablo Montoya McLaren MP4-20 2005 Turkish Grand Prix
GP2 1:33.482[15] United Arab Emirates Andreas Zuber Dallara GP2/08 2008 Istanbul GP2 Series round
LMP1 1:41.281[16][17] France Jean-Christophe Boullion Pescarolo C60 Hybrid 2006 1000 km of Istanbul
Formula Renault 3.5 1:41.342[18] Venezuela Pastor Maldonado Dallara T05 2006 Istanbul Formula Renault 3.5 Series round
LMP2 1:43.031[16][17] Portugal João Barbosa Radical SR9 2006 1000 km of Istanbul
GP3 1:47.227 Italy Andrea Caldarelli Dallara GP3/10 2011 Istanbul GP3 Series round
GT1 1:49.469[16][17] Portugal Pedro Lamy Aston Martin DBR9 2006 1000 km of Istanbul
MotoGP 1:52.877 Spain Toni Elías Honda RC211V 2006 Turkish motorcycle Grand Prix
Formula Renault 2.0 1:55.524[19] Spain Dani Clos Tatuus FR2000 2006 Istanbul Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 round
GT2 1:55.658[20] Germany Mike Rockenfeller Porsche 911 (996) GT3-RSR 2005 FIA GT Istanbul 2 Hours
World SBK 1:55.673 United Kingdom Tom Sykes Kawasaki ZX-10R 2013 Istanbul World SBK round
250cc 1:57.595 Spain Dani Pedrosa Honda RS250R 2005 Turkish motorcycle Grand Prix
World SSP 1:59.157 United Kingdom Sam Lowes Yamaha YZF-R6 2013 Istanbul World SSP round
DTM 2:00.130[21] Finland Mika Hakkinen Mercedes-Benz AMG C-Class DTM (W203) 2005 Istanbul DTM Round
Ferrari Challenge 2:00.718[22] Italy Ferrari 458 Challenge Evo 2014 Ferrari Challenge Europe Istanbul round
Eurocup Mégane Trophy 2:02.560[23] Portugal César Campaniço Renault Mégane Renault Sport 2006 Istanbul Eurocup Mégane Trophy round
125cc 2:03.825 Spain Joan Olivé Aprilia RS125R 2006 Turkish motorcycle Grand Prix
WTCC 2:05.771 Italy Gabriele Tarquini Alfa Romeo 156 WTCC 2005 FIA WTCC Race of Turkey

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ "Intercity İstanbul Park". intercitypark.com.
  2. ^ "tilke-ac.de". www.tilke-ac.de.
  3. ^ Dodgins, Tony; Hamilton, Maurice; Hughes, Mark; Kirby, Gordon (8 January 2021). Autocourse 2020-2021. Cheltenham, United Kingdom: Icon Publishing Limited. p. 280. ISBN 978-1910584-42-2.
  4. ^ Jump up to: a b "Turkey to keep F1 race until 2021". 23 April 2007 – via news.bbc.co.uk.
  5. ^ "Ecclestone İstanbul Park'ı bırakıyor". CNN Türk (cnnturk.com). 15 January 2009.
  6. ^ "Ecclestone İstanbul Park'ı bırakıyor". NTV (ntv.com.tr). 4 September 2011.
  7. ^ "Intercity Istanbul Park". intercitypark.com. Retrieved 10 October 2020.
  8. ^ https://www.autosport.com/f1/feature/10777/how-turkey-was-established-as-tilke-f1-gold-standard
  9. ^ Hughes, Mark (9 November 2020). "MPH: Is a perfect lap at Istanbul Park possible?". Motor Sport. Retrieved 1 January 2020.
  10. ^ Trulli unmoved by Istanbul - www.itv-f1.com Archived 12 March 2007 at the Wayback Machine
  11. ^ "F1 confirms return of Turkish GP on final 17-race calendar". ESPN.com. 25 August 2020. Retrieved 13 November 2020.
  12. ^ "Turkey to replace Canada on 2021 F1 race calendar". Formula1.com. 28 April 2021. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
  13. ^ "2021 F1 calendar reshuffled as Turkey drops off and extra Austria race added". Formula1.com. 14 May 2021. Retrieved 14 May 2021.
  14. ^ "FIA European Truck Racing Championships - Calendars". FIA. Archived from the original on 10 October 2012. Retrieved 11 October 2012.
  15. ^ "2008 GP2 Series Istanbul Session Facts". Retrieved 1 March 2021.
  16. ^ Jump up to: a b c "Istanbul 1000 Kilometres 2006". Retrieved 24 March 2021.
  17. ^ Jump up to: a b c "Le Mans Series - Istanbul 715.292 Kms - Race Report". Retrieved 24 March 2021.
  18. ^ "2006 Formula Renault 3.5 Istanbul Classification". Retrieved 15 March 2021.
  19. ^ "2006 Formula Renault 2.0 Istanbul Classification". Retrieved 15 March 2021.
  20. ^ "FIA GT Championship Istanbul". Retrieved 24 March 2021.
  21. ^ "2005 Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters Istanbul Session Facts". Retrieved 1 March 2021.
  22. ^ "Trofeo Pirelli Istanbul Race 2 (30') Final Classification" (PDF). Retrieved 18 May 2021.
  23. ^ "Round 2: Turkey Eurocup Megane Trophy Results Booklet" (PDF). Retrieved 24 March 2021.

External links[]

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