Turkey’s Istanbul Park to host F1 race in November

ISTANBUL

Turkey’s Istanbul Park will host a Grand Prix for the first time since 2011 this year, after Formula 1 announced on Aug. 25 four more races have been added to the 2020 calendar.

The Turkish Grand Prix will be run on Nov. 15, just before a back-to-back double header in Bahrain, with the Bahrain Grand Prix on Nov. 26 followed by the Sakhir Grand Prix on Dec. 6. The season concluding Abu Dhabi Grand Prix will take place at the Yas Marina Circuit on Dec. 13.

Formula 1 also confirmed that the Chinese Grand Prix, which was initially postponed earlier this year, will now not be run in 2020, bringing the current race total to 17 for the season.

Formula 1 drivers were already relishing the addition of Istanbul Park to the calendar before the announcement, and expected the famous “Turn 8” to be “easy flat” in the modern cars.

Of the current grid, only Lewis Hamilton, Sebastian Vettel, Kimi Raikkonen and Sergio Perez have prior experience in Formula One cars at the circuit.

Romain Grosjean raced at Istanbul Park back in GP2, winning races there in 2008 and 2011, and was excited by the prospect of the track returning.

“It would be mega,” Grosjean said when asked by Autosport about going back to Turkey.

“I think it would be bloody awesome. It’s such a cool track. I really enjoy going there and racing.

“Turn 8 is a good one for the neck, so I think it would be very fast.”

Esteban Ocon has never raced in Turkey, but is excited fort he expreince.

“Turkey is a fantastic circuit,” Ocon said last week.

“If it comes to the calendar, awesome. It’s an old-school circuit, something I was watching on TV when I was younger. [The] massive left-hander, flat-out, is going to be pretty impressive.”