Some readers might find it odd that some in the Formula 1 community are critical of Istanbul Park, the great white elephant that resides in the hills above the Sea of Marmara, just off the road to Izmit, on the Asian side of Istanbul. The circuit is magnificent in many ways but almost no-one local goes there. The Turkish Grand Prix is peopled by the F1 circus, the teams from the support races and a few die-hard fans. It means that traffic going into the circuit is never much of a problem, although this morning we did notice a Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro minivan that had bumped into a local vehicle (or vice versa) at the main gate. Road safety in Turkey has plenty of keep FIA President Jean Todt and his people busy. This morning we were heading for the circuit down a rather fancy dual carriageway with the grandiose title of Fatih Sultan Mehmet Boulevard. It runs from nowhere to nowhere but is a useful way to get into the circuit. Over the brow we came and discovered that there were some unexpected road users…
High on a hill…
May 30, 2010 by Joe Saward
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5 Responses
Joe – delay – he- hoo !!!
Joe, the roads in Turkey are generally excellent (although the road users are less so..). It’s no problem to average 160 kph or more on the 8 lane highway between Istanbul and Ankara.
If you ever have the time you should try the D400 from Mersin to Alanya. It’s a 300 km piece of mountain road along the Mediterreanean coast. Sometimes you’re at sea level, sometimes a few hundred meters up into the mountains, great views all around and the road itself is effectively 10 nordschleife’s back to back!
@ James W…. Very funny!!!
Joe, my wife is keen on visiting Istanbul. If the race stays on the calendar (big if), would you recommend it? Sounds like tickets and accommodation should not be a problem.
It depends what floats your boat. I am not overly keen, but the old city is interesting. Just don’t drive backwards and forwards from the city to the circuit. Stay on the Asian side.