F1: No more surface problems in Turkey

(GMM) Formula 1 is confident Turkey’s Istanbul circuit will be in better shape than last year.

Amid the new covid era of frequent race cancellations, the sport is heading back to Turkey next weekend amid memories of the treacherous state of the newly resurfaced track.

Max Verstappen summed up the unusually slippery nature of the 2020 asphalt with one word: “Sh*t.”

Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll added: “The surface was just so much worse than anywhere else we’ve been to all year in terms of grip.”

But according to F1 race director Michael Masi, the situation should be resolved in 2021.

“We have informed the racing teams that we have treated the surface in a special way so that it builds up more grip,” he told Speed Week.

Part of that treatment involved blasting the slippery surface with water.

“In Singapore, parts of the circuit were freshly surfaced over and over again and then treated accordingly and there were no problems,” Masi added.

“In 2020, the timing just wasn’t quite right in Turkey, but this season is very different.”