Formula marred with empty seats ISTANBUL

Following 200,000 spectators at the 2005 event, attendance figures at the Turkish Grand Prix have consistently declined during the last five years and hit a derisory all-time low on Sunday: There were only 32,000 onlookers to witness Brawn GP’s Jenson Button fly to another victory, organizers announced. The vacant blocks were so conspicuous that grandstands had to be covered with tarps to disguise the bitter fact. But these measures didn’t save some of the drivers from pointing out the absence of fans with lament.

Renault’s Spanish driver Fernando Alonso made a jab at the attendance on Friday and said numbers were so low in Istanbul that come the end of the weekend he would likely know all of the spectators by name.

Mark Webber of Team Red Bull was less able to control his displeasure that so few were there to see him come runner-up to race winner Jenson Button, the Associated Press reported.

"I am looking forward to Silverstone for many reasons because I think it will be a great atmosphere unlike here. There was no one here," said an utterly bitter Webber.

"We should have let them in for free at the end," the Australian said. "Jenson and I spoke about this on the parade lap, that on the day maybe we should have made an announcement yesterday or even this morning to get some more people in here to let them experience our sport and that's a shame that it didn't happen.

"I'm sure there's a lot of people that would want to come to the Turkish Grand Prix but can't afford to because it's very expensive."

Deeper problem

Tickets ranging from 95 to 700 Turkish Liras were actually low compared to Formula One standards, but apparently still too much for Turkish sports fans. Barış Kuyucu, sports commentator and editor at CNN Türk, said the problem went deeper than just money.

"We were completely disgraced before the world Ğ the stadium looked so empty, I reckon there were no more than 5,000 Turks there," Kuyucu was quoted as saying in the English daily The Times. "Turkey doesn't have the necessary sports culture to make this work. Nobody would dream of making a day out of the races, going for a picnic and socializing like they do in other countries."

The drivers’ woes about no-atmosphere aside, the situation becomes even darker when one thinks of how much money Istanbul Park is hemorrhaging. Many pundits suggest that Formula One’s fate in Turkey may come to an end in two years, when circuit owner Bernie Ecclestone’s deal to run races ends.

While Formula One brings in less cash than planned, it might be looked on whether the track can be used for other events, such as Moto GP or even local races, but the current regime does not favor such a use of Istanbul Park. The cost of hiring the track is 70,000 euros a day, astonishingly high compared to the 16,000 required for the Silverstone circuit in England, the Times reported.

"We had a big tyre company interested in staging a promotional event, but they were shocked by the price and went to Thailand instead," Koray Muratoğlu, who edits Autocar magazine, told the English daily. "They threw in a holiday in Phuket and still did the whole thing cheaper."

More events, more loss

Istanbul Park General Manager Can Güçlü responded to criticism saying that organizing more events led to more money loss in the past. "In the first year [2005], there was the MotoGP, DTM [German Touring Car Masters], WTCC [World Touring Car Championship], Le Mans endurance races, and it all lost a lot of money," Güçlü said. "Now we have to draw a line, reorganize and start looking at new projects." Güçlü is right, and this year the track will host a rock music festival Rock'n Coke from July 17-19. But the question of how the speed track will actually make money from sectors doing what it was designed for still hangs in the air.

Deputy Prime Minister Bülent Arınç said the state would do what it should to help in that regard.

"Millions of people are watching the events, and we have a great track with thousands of stands," said Arınç, who presented the prize to Button after the race. "We spend millions of dollars every year in promoting our country abroad, and we need to make full use of Istanbul Park when we have it.

"We will discuss with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and State Minister Faruk Özak on what we can do about it," he added. "Turkey should not let this advantage of hosting this race slip from its hands."

Can Güçlü said the economic crisis may have played its part, but the Turkish GP should battle on.

"I believe this organization must continue," he said.

Nevertheless, the problems of maintaining a racetrack that is used only a couple of days a year and that keeps attracting fewer people are likely to continue as well.