05/10/2020
NEWS STORY
The Turkish Grand Prix, scheduled to take place on 15 November, will now take place behind closed doors.
As circuits begin to allow fans access, the event at Intercity Istanbul Park next month was looking to be one of the best attended of the season, with organisers claiming as many as 100,000 fans for each of the three days, largely due to the heavily discounted ticket prices.
However, a ruling by the Turkish government now means that the event, like the opening seven rounds of the season will take place behind closed doors.
"In accordance with the recommendation of the Istanbul Provincial Pandemic Committee the Turkish Grand Prix 2020 race is to be held without spectators," it was announced in a brief statement this morning.
Popular with drivers and fans, Istanbul Park last hosted F1 in 2011, and when officials announced the sport's return as part of the heavily revised schedule due to the pandemic, over 40,000 tickets were sold within the first few hours.
It remains to be seen if other events will follow Turkey's example, but we are hearing that authorities in the UAE are unlikely to allow fans to attend the events in Bahrain or Abu Dhabi.