Istanbul Park in a nutshell

The three week F1 hiatus is about over. Next weekend the circus will be in Istanbul. The Turkish Grand Prix made its Formula One debut in 2005 at an all-new purpose built circuit just outside Istanbul. The 5.338km track was designed by Herman Tilke, the man behind the new circuits in Malaysia, Bahrain and China.

The circuit features fourteen turns – eight lefts and six rights – with plenty of gradient change as the track is built on four different ground levels. An unusual feature is that the lap runs anti-clockwise, joining Interlagos in Brazil as the only circuits currently on the calendar to do so. The circuit provides the drivers with a real challenge, with the cars reaching speeds of up to 330kph along the two main straights.

The facilities at the circuit are as impressive as the race track. Seating capacity at Istanbul Park is 130,000 with 25,000 of those in the main grandstand, and parking is available for 12,000 cars. Dominating the circuit’s skyline are two seven-floor towers built at either end of the paddock for VIPs and the media.