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Turkish Grand Prix under threat
ESPNF1 Staff
December 18, 2009
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The 2010 Turkish Grand Prix could be the last © Sutton Images
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The Turkish Grand Prix could lose its place on the Formula One calendar in 2011 after F1 CEO Bernie Ecclestone doubled the price of hosting the event, according to a local newspaper.
A report in The Hurriyet Daily News said Ecclestone upped his asking price from $13.5 million to $26 million for the 2011 race. If so, the news adds to the organisers' woes as the circuit has struggled to attract spectators in the last two years, seeing its attendance drop from 200,000 at the inaugural event in 2005 to just 36,000 this year. The report said they have been given until the end of the year to make a decision.
In response to the new deal a Turkish official claimed the amount being asked was disproportionate. "In countries such as France and Germany, the Formula One CEO is requesting something between $1.5 million and $4 million."
The British Grand Prix recently came under threat, and again the sticking point between the organisers and Ecclestone was money. To put the Turkish offer into context, it is understood Silverstone settled on a deal to pay Ecclestone $19.5 million to hold the British round in 2010, with the fee escalating by 5% year-on-year.
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