The failure of the Turkish GP seen by Ecclestone

Bernie Ecclestone informed the director of the Turkish circuit that he had indeed noted the failure in terms of attendance this weekend.

Istanbul Park has been hosting Formula 1 since 2005 and boasts very impressive facilities, arguably the best by Hermann Tilke, the designer of the circuit.

Having watched Sunday’s Grand Prix from his London residence, the 78-year-old Briton told reporters from the London Daily Express that his main concern was the empty stands.

Only 32,000 spectators were present at the race, whereas the venue has a capacity of 130,000 seats. The organizers even covered some empty stands entirely with a dark-colored material to create an optical illusion when we watched the Grand Prix on television.

The camera angles were also adjusted to avoid showing the number of seats that remained empty throughout the weekend.

« I need to speak to the Turkish Prime Minister quickly to discuss the future of the circuit. »

Ecclestone has already indicated that the circuit’s contract is under review for 2011 and beyond.

Mark Webber, who finished in second place on the podium this Sunday, claims that the problem is that the tickets are too expensive. However, Ecclestone believes that the market is promising and that the failure lies in the promotion of the event, which is the responsibility of the host country.

« The country has a huge basin between Eastern Europe and the Middle East. It’s not getting the promotion it should, » Ecclestone said, before joking: « Maybe it could move to establish itself in Great Britain. »