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Istanbul Park facts for kids

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Istanbul Park
Location Istanbul, Turkey
Time zone UTC +2
Major events FIA Formula One
Turkish Grand Prix
MotoGP, GP2, DTM, 1000 km
Istanbul park.svg
Length 5.338 km (3.317 mi)
Turns 14
Race lap record 1:24.770 (Colombia Juan Pablo Montoya, McLaren, 2005)

Istanbul Park is a famous place for car and motorcycle races in Turkey. It is also known as the Istanbul Racing Circuit. This track is located in Akfırat County, which is east of Istanbul. It first opened its doors on August 21, 2005.

Many people, including Formula One leader Bernie Ecclestone, have called it "the best race track in the world." The main event held here is the Formula One Turkish Grand Prix.

Istanbul Park is found in the Pendik area, on the Asian side of Istanbul. It is very close to the TEM motorway, which is a big highway connecting Istanbul to Ankara. Ankara is the capital city of Turkey. The track is also near the Sabiha Gökçen International Airport, where planes take off and land. The area around the track has many trees and open fields.

Robert Kubica 2009 Turkey 2
Turn 8 is the track's most famous corner.

The race track is about 5.338 kilometers (3.317 miles) long. It is about 15 meters (49 feet) wide on average. The longest straight part of the track is over 650 meters (2,133 feet) long. In total, the track has 14 turns or corners.

The design of Istanbul Park was created by a famous architect named Hermann Tilke. He designs many race tracks around the world. The track can hold a huge number of fans, up to 155,000 people. The main seating area, called the grandstand, has seats for 25,000 people.

Some people have shared their thoughts about the track. After a practice session, a Formula One driver named Jenson Button said the track felt a bit bumpy. Another driver, Jarno Trulli, thought the track was not hard enough to truly challenge the drivers.

Key Features of the Track

Istanbul Park has some special features that make it unique:

  • Designer: The track was designed by Hermann Tilke.
  • Seating Capacity: It has 26,250 permanent covered seats. There are also 125,000 temporary seats for big events.

Major Races and Events

Istanbul Park hosts many exciting motorsport events. The most famous one is the Formula One Turkish Grand Prix. This is a very popular car race.

Other important events held at the track include:

  • The GP2 series, which is a stepping stone for future Formula One drivers.
  • The Turkish motorcycle Grand Prix, a big race for motorcycles.
  • The FIA World Touring Car Championship.
  • The Formula-G races.
  • The Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters (DTM), a German touring car series.
  • The Le Mans Series 1,000 km race, an endurance race.

Istanbul Park in Video Games

You can even experience Istanbul Park in some video games! The track is featured in:

  • The 2008 video game Race Driver: GRID by Codemasters.
  • The 2008 PC simulator GTR Evolution by SimBin.


Images for kids

  • Istanbul Park aerial

    Aerial view of Istanbul Park

  • GPTurkey05 start

    Start of the 2005 Turkish Grand Prix, the first Formula One race at Istanbul Park.

  • Istanbul park front straight and main grandstand

    A view of the main grandstand

  • Istanbul park pit lane

    A view of the pit lane

  • Istanbul park turn 1 and pit lane exit

    A view of the pit lane exit

  • Mattias Ekström (Audi S1 EKS RX quattro) (21727174638)

    2015 World RX of Turkey race in Istanbul Park

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Circuito de Estambul para niños

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