Turkish GP rejoins F1 calendar while Silverstone to have capacity crowd
Motor racing’s Formula 1 announced today that the Turkish Grand Prix has been added to the 2021 calendar.
The event will take place at the Intercity Istanbul Park on 3 October.
It will replace the Singapore Grand Prix, which was recently cancelled because of coronavirus restrictions.
Turkey was earlier excluded because of travel restrictions related to Covid-19 but these have now been overcome.
The Turkish Grand Prix returned to the schedule last year having been absent since 2011.
Stefano Domenicali, president and chief executive of Formula 1, said: “We are delighted to be coming back to Turkey to Intercity Istanbul Park circuit. We hope to see another fantastic race again in one of the best tracks in the world. We want to thank the Intercity Istanbul Park management and Mr. Vural Ak for his personal efforts to make this event to happen.
“We have shown that we can continue to adapt and there is huge interest in our sport and the hope from many locations to have a Grand Prix. We have had very good conversations with all the other promoters since the start of the year and continue to work closely with them during this period.”
Meanwhile, the upcoming British Grand Prix will have a maximum crowd capacity of up to 140,000.
The race is due to take place at Silverstone on 18 July.
UK sports events are still subject to coronavirus restrictions but an agreement was reached with the government after Stuart Pringle, the managing director of Silverstone, claimed that the circuit faced going bankrupt if spectators could not attend.
It will be the biggest crowd at a UK sports event since the start of the coronavirus pandemic last year, although fans will have to provide proof of a negative Covid-19 test or have been fully vaccinated.
The two Formula 1 rounds at Silverstone last year were held behind closed doors.
Following the announcement of a full crowd at the British Grand Prix, Match Hospitality, the commercial hospitality company, has confirmed it will be offering packages for the race.
Match is the official hospitality provider for various events at Silverstone in a deal signed in 2019.
In other developments, Williams, the UK-based Formula 1 team, has extended its partnership with USA-based paint company PPG.
The brand is serving as an official supplier to the team for the 18th consecutive year, providing paint finishes for Williams cars and for use within the team’s headquarters at Grove in southern England.
PPG will receive brand exposure on the team’s race trucks, within the garage and at the hospitality areas at Grand Prix events.
