Headed to Istanbul

Hello all. I am fortunate enough to be attending the Turkish Grand Prix in a few weeks. I just wanted to know if anyone had any tips advice related to the race logistics or activities in and around Istanbul. Thanks in advance for any advice.

 

I believe Andreas (Tifosi12) went last year so he would be of some help.

 

Istanbul (Constantinople) is unique, in that the city spans two continents. There's a bridge that crosses, from Europe to Asia.

you might be tempted to walk across that bridge, so you can say that you "walked from Europe to Asia". especially if you haven't slept in a few days, and you've been drinking whatever that milky-white refreshment is, that's served at the local clubs and bars.

when people from bartenders to cab drivers try to tell you, in the strongest possible terms, to NOT attempt to walk across that bridge ... please, for the love of all that's holy, LISTEN TO THEM.

anyone remember that movie Midnight Express?

 

I attended the Turkish GP last year. I was fortunate to have a three day Paddock Club pass but I did walk around a bit.

Istanbul is perhaps my favorite city in the world, there is just so much history, and the Turkish people are simply wonderful folk.

One of the most interesting "tourist" thing I did this time was to visit the Basilica Cistern (Google it), any taxi driver will know how to get there, its pretty central.

Allow plenty of time to get to the track, especially on Sunday.

Do you have any specific questions?

 

Yeah, tell Webber to release the handbrake on his car.

 

I assume you already have your ticket, but if not, try to sit by the last turn. Be sure to visit the Grand Bizzare and go to the Blue Mosque in the evening at dusk for a fun audio presentation. If you aren't driving, buses stop at most hotels on the morning of the race. Cost should be around $30.

 

I will be there also. How did you get from Istanbul to the track? I would rather not drive myself just for he hassle factor.

 

you mean the thing he calls 'KERS'.

 

Perhaps.... he's pulling the handbrake up thinking its a KERS button - would explain why he's so much slower than Vettel and why only his KERS seems to be not working.

 

Not fortunate to have paddock pass but I have my tickets and hotel etc.. Just two questions:
If the race is so poorly attended why plan so much time to get to the track? Everyone seems to say this, so how much time is enough? I was planning to take the shuttle from Taksim square where my hotel is

Are the drivers accessible at all? If so, where? I have a patient who worked with the Benetton team in the distatnt past but now owns a garage and is in poor health. He is a big LH fan and of racing in general. If it is not too much hassle I would like to at least try to score an autograph for him. He would be thrilled to post it in his garage back here in Atlanta.
One more question, is the food around the track edible? Hopefully they can do better than those sandwiches at Monza last year. I have been told to avoid all food from vendors in and around Istanbul.

 

I don't know about the shuttle, Taksim is in Europe while I stayed with friends on the Asian side, much closer to the track. I allowed about an hour. The secondary road from the highway to the track is congested. It was OK every day but Sunday eve after the race but I left for the track early every day so I could get there for practice and the support races.

No. Not at all. You have a better chance of getting an autograph from the Pope

Don't know as I ate in the paddock club, I think they would be OK though. There is a "village" behind the main grandstand with vendors and displays, interesting to see that Ferrari merchandise accounts for about 80% of the goods sold.

 

The friends I was staying with on the Asian side had a regular taxi driver so I used that. He came and got me at days end. As I recall it was about $25-30 each way. dabrownsmd mentions a shuttle, I know nothing about this but it sounds like a good way to get there.

 

Like I said above, DO NOT WORRY ABOUT GETTING TO THE TRACK, there are tons of shuttle buses leaving from downtown. Every hotel in town is selling tickets. The hotel I stayed at three years ago was selling them for $40. I went to the hotel around the corner and paid $30. Nice air conditioned coaches, pick you up there, leave you off there.

 

The bridge across the Bosporus is the bottle neck for traffic and everybody is afraid of getting stuck there. But it really isn't that bad.

My recommendation: Book one of the buses operating from the hotel to the track as your mode of transportation. They cost like a hundred bucks and are reliable and fast. If you are lucky and get a chauffeur who knows the back roads, he'll even get you out of the traffic jam after the race (our driver didn't bother going onto the highway where everybody was just parked but went down a small field road circumventing the jam).

I have no experience with the Shuttle (I think I did see those buses) but I'm sure those drivers know when to leave to avoid the traffic jam. And you are quite right: There aren't that many fans at the track, so it won't be the disaster everybody talks about re: traffic. It takes about an hour to get to the track, but you have to leave early enough to avoid traffic. Our bus got us to the track about two hours before the start, which was good enough.

No access to the drivers. Your best bet would be to try to find out in which hotel the team stays and hope for the best while hanging out in the hotel lobby early Sunday morning.

There aren't many street vendors per se, but the official vendor booths in the F1 village. They serve standard food (e.g. Pizza, burgers and Foster beer) and it is good.

As is all the food in Istanbul/Turkey.

The F1 village is average: There are some things to buy and food/drinks, but nothing very fancy. Everything at the track side is very orderly, so no worries.

After the race, they opened the fences and we had a chance to run towards the podium for the ceremony and get your picture on the s/f grid taken afterwards.

 

My wife and I have been to Istanbul twice before the first F1 race and on the last trip stayed at the Uyan Hotel close to the Four Seasons.

The highlight of that short trip was our dinner in the roof-top seafood restaurant of the Seven Hills hotel on a beautiful evening.

http://www.hotelsevenhills.com/restorant.asp

The Hagia Sophia was behind me, the Blue Mosque behind my wife and the Sea of Marmara to my left. The sun setting as evening prayers were being said was one of the things we will always remember. The food was memorable as well. No high tech music or flashing strobes. Just the beauty of the surroundings.

So much to see and do and so little time. If I had been able to attend an F1 race on that same trip it would truly have been nirvana!

 

totally agree with ralphedel

I LOVED all the food in Turkey!

And I can be very picky. The roof top restaurants around the Sultanmet are incredibly and hard to beat in their ambiance. Needless to say the Misses loved it too.

 

Here some shots I took a year ago. You'll see the lovely restaurant/bar/hotel area around the Sultanamet with its fantastic foods. There are some shots of the infamous bridge and the race traffic afterwards. Plus some shots around the F1 village.

It is too bad not more people are going to this race since it can be combined with a beautiful vacation (we had a fantastic time traveling up the Mediterranean coast, which is just drop dead gorgeous and littered with 4 star hotels). For a tourist Turkey is paradise!
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BTW: I also loved flying Turkish Airlines, more fantastic food, even on the shortest of flights (boy, have we fallen down in the US ).
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Very nice photos. The image of the waiter at night looks like it came from travel & leisure magazine!

 

Thanks much!

That was funny, we were strolling past the restaurants and the waiter comes storming out with something flambe and I'm trying to snatch a picture running down the street alongside him.

 

As always great photos Andreas I like the thought you put not just all car racing but the overall flavour well done.

 

Thanks m8.

F1 cars look the same around the world, so once you've seen them, the emphasis should be on the surroundings. Besides: When you spend all that time and money to get to a place like Turkey, you'd be a fool not to take in the local tourist attractions and culture.

 

True enough you sold it to me ..