Istanbul Park facts for kids
Grand Prix Circuit (2005–present)
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| Location | Tuzla, Istanbul, Turkey |
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| Time zone | UTC+03:00 |
| Coordinates | 40°57′6″N 29°24′18″E / 40.95167°N 29.40500°E |
| Capacity | 125,000 |
| FIA Grade | 1 (Grand Prix) 3 (Intermediate) 6R (Rallycross) |
| Owner | Vakıflar Genel Müdürlüğü (August 2005–present) |
| Operator | Turkish Automobile Sports Federation (June 2025–present) Can Bilim Eğitim Kurumları A.Ş. (April 2024–December 2024) Intercity (October 2012–March 2024) Bernie Ecclestone (April 2007–September 2012) FİYAŞ (August 2005–March 2007) |
| Broke ground | 23 September 2003 |
| Opened | 19 August 2005 |
| Architect | Hermann Tilke |
| Former names | İstanbul Park (August 2005–September 2012, April 2024–May 2025) Intercity İstanbul Park (October 2012–March 2024) |
| Major events | Current: FIA World Rallycross Championship World RX of Turkey (2014–2015, 2024–present) FIA European Rallycross Championship (2025) Former: Formula One Turkish Grand Prix (2005–2011, 2020–2021) Grand Prix motorcycle racing Turkish motorcycle Grand Prix (2005–2007) WTCC Race of Turkey (2005–2006) Le Mans Series 1000 km Istanbul (2005–2006) World SBK (2013) DTM (2005) FIA GT (2005) International GT Open (2006) World Series by Renault (2006) European Truck Racing Championship (2012) |
| Grand Prix Circuit (2005–present) | |
| Length | 5.338 km (3.317 mi) |
| Turns | 14 |
| Race lap record | 1:24.770 ( Juan Pablo Montoya, McLaren MP4-20, 2005, F1) |
| Intermediate Circuit (2005–present) | |
| Length | 3.925 km (2.439 mi) |
| Turns | 13 |
TOSFED İstanbul Park is a famous race track located in Tuzla, Istanbul, Turkey. It's a special place where many exciting motor sports events happen. The track was designed by a well-known architect named Hermann Tilke and first opened in August 2005.
Some people, like former Formula One boss Bernie Ecclestone, have even called it "the best race track in the world"! The track has had different operators over the years. Since June 2025, the Turkish Automobile Sports Federation has been in charge of running İstanbul Park.
Contents
About İstanbul Park
İstanbul Park is located on the Asian side of Istanbul. It's close to a major motorway that connects Istanbul to Ankara. You can also find it near Sabiha Gökçen International Airport. The area around the track is full of forests and open fields.
Unique Track Design
One cool thing about İstanbul Park is that it's an anti-clockwise track. This means drivers turn left more often than right. Most race tracks go clockwise. This unusual layout makes drivers use different neck muscles, especially in a long, fast left turn called Turn 8.
The track is about 5.3 kilometers (3.3 miles) long. It has 14 corners and changes height in four different places. The main straight part of the track is over 650 meters (710 yards) long.
Spectator Experience
İstanbul Park can hold a huge crowd, about 125,000 people! The main grandstand alone has seats for 25,000 fans. There are also natural hillsides and temporary stands for many more spectators.
The buildings where the racing teams work have two floors. The ground floor is for the teams, and the upper floor is for hospitality. There are even two tall VIP towers at each end of the team area.
Famous Corners
Turn 8 is a very famous part of the track. Drivers and fans call it "Diabolica" because it's a fast, sweeping corner with four different turning points. It's often compared to legendary corners on other tracks, like Eau Rouge. This corner puts a lot of stress on the car's tires, making them wear out quickly.
Another interesting corner is Turn 1. It's a sharp left turn that goes downhill right after the main straight. Some people call it the "Turkish Corkscrew." Many exciting moments and even crashes have happened here in past races. There's also an uphill bend in the middle of the back straight, jokingly called "Faux Rouge."
Some drivers have mentioned that the track can get bumpy, especially at Turn 8. This can make it tricky for cars to stay on the track.
Exciting Motorsport Events
Formula One Races
The very first Turkish Grand Prix for Formula One cars happened in 2005. These races were held regularly until 2011. After a break, Formula One returned to İstanbul Park in 2020 and 2021.
Famous drivers like Felipe Massa have won here many times. Lewis Hamilton, Sebastian Vettel, Jenson Button, Kimi Räikkönen, and Valtteri Bottas have also won races at this track.
Other Major Races
İstanbul Park has hosted many other big racing events.
- MotoGP: Motorcycle Grand Prix races were held here from 2005 to 2007.
- FIA World Rallycross Championship: This exciting off-road racing series has visited İstanbul Park in 2014, 2015, and 2024. They use a special layout that includes parts of the main track and a dirt section.
- European Truck Racing Championship: Big racing trucks competed here in 2012.
- Superbike World Championship: High-speed motorcycle races took place in 2013.
Current Events
- September: FIA World Rallycross Championship World RX of Turkey and FIA European Rallycross Championship Euro RX of Turkey
Former Events
- Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters (DTM) (2005)
- FIA GT Championship (2005)
- GP2 Series (2005–2011)
- Grand Prix motorcycle racing (2005–2007)
- Le Mans Series (2005–2006)
- Porsche Supercup (2007–2009, 2011)
- Superbike World Championship (2013)
- World Touring Car Championship (2005–2006)
Lap Records
A lap record is the fastest time a vehicle has completed one full lap of the track during a race. The official lap record for the main circuit at İstanbul Park is 1 minute, 24.770 seconds. This was set by Juan Pablo Montoya in a McLaren MP4-20 during the 2005 Turkish Grand Prix.
Here are some of the fastest official race lap records at İstanbul Park as of July 2025:
| Category | Time | Driver | Vehicle | Event |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Prix Circuit: 5.338 km (2005–present) | ||||
| Formula One | 1:24.770 | Juan Pablo Montoya |
McLaren MP4-20 | 2005 Turkish Grand Prix |
| GP2 | 1:33.482 |  Andreas Zuber |
Dallara GP2/08 | 2008 Istanbul GP2 Series round |
| LMP1 | 1:41.281 |  Emmanuel Collard |
Pescarolo C60 Hybrid | 2006 1000 km of Istanbul |
| Formula Renault 3.5 | 1:41.342 |  Pastor Maldonado |
Dallara T05 | 2006 Istanbul Formula Renault 3.5 Series round |
| LMP2 | 1:43.031 |  João Barbosa |
Radical SR9 | 2006 1000 km of Istanbul |
| Formula 3000 | 1:45.708 |  Tomáš Kostka |
Lola B02/50 | 2006 Istanbul F3000 Masters round |
| GP3 | 1:47.227 |  Andrea Caldarelli |
Dallara GP3/10 | 2011 Istanbul GP3 Series round |
| GT1 (GTS) | 1:49.469 | Pedro Lamy |
Aston Martin DBR9 | 2006 1000 km of Istanbul |
| MotoGP | 1:52.877 |  Toni Elías |
Honda RC211V | 2006 Turkish motorcycle Grand Prix |
| Formula Renault 2.0 | 1:55.524 | Dani Clos |
Tatuus FR2000 | 2006 Istanbul Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 round |
| GT2 | 1:55.658 |  Mike Rockenfeller |
Porsche 911 (996) GT3-RSR | 2005 FIA GT Istanbul 2 Hours |
| World SBK | 1:55.673 |  Tom Sykes |
Kawasaki ZX-10R | 2013 Istanbul World SBK round |
| 250cc | 1:57.595 | Dani Pedrosa |
Honda RS250R | 2005 Turkish motorcycle Grand Prix |
| Porsche Carrera Cup | 1:58.612 |  Jaap van Lagen |
Porsche 911 (997) GT3 Cup | 2008 Istanbul Porsche Supercup round |
| World SSP | 1:59.157 | Sam Lowes |
Yamaha YZF-R6 | 2013 Istanbul World SSP round |
| DTM | 2:00.130 |  Mika Hakkinen |
Mercedes-Benz AMG C-Class | 2005 Istanbul DTM round |
| Ferrari Challenge | 2:00.718 | Dario Caso |
Ferrari 458 Challenge Evo | 2014 Istanbul Ferrari Challenge Europe round |
| Eurocup Mégane Trophy | 2:02.560 | César Campaniço |
Renault Mégane Renault Sport | 2006 Istanbul Eurocup Mégane Trophy round |
| TCR Touring Car | 2:02.782 |  Zekai Özen |
Audi RS 3 LMS TCR | 2025 1st Istanbul Turkish Circuit Championship round |
| 125cc | 2:03.825 | Joan Olivé |
Aprilia RS125R | 2006 Turkish motorcycle Grand Prix |
| Super 2000 | 2:05.771 |  Gabriele Tarquini |
Alfa Romeo 156 WTCC | 2005 FIA WTCC Race of Turkey |
| Formula Alfa | 2:07.676 |  Tornike Kiknavelidze |
AKKS Formula Alfa | 2014 Istanbul Formula Alfa round |
| Supersport 300 | 2:13.924 | Tolga Uprak |
Yamaha YZF-R3 | 2024 1st Istanbul Turkish Superbike Championship round |
Images for kids
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A race during the 2015 World RX of Turkey at Istanbul Park.
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The World RX layout of Istanbul Park, used for rallycross races.
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See also
In Spanish: Circuito de Estambul para niños
- List of Formula One circuits
- List of Grand Prix motorcycle circuits
- List of Superbike World Championship circuits
- List of FIA World Touring Car Championship circuits
- List of European Le Mans Series circuits
- List of World Rallycross Championship events
