Turkish Grand Prix officials sounded more hopeful on Monday that the race can remain as part of the F1 calendar in 2012.
Local officials more optimistic Istanbul race can remain on calendar
Turkish Grand Prix officials sounded more hopeful on Monday that the race can remain as part of the Formula One calendar in 2012.
Istanbul Chamber of Commerce head Murat Yalcintas said before Sunday's race in Istanbul that it faced the axe because of a financial disagreement with F1's commercial rights controller Bernie Ecclestone.
He said the government had rejected a bid by Ecclestone to double the payment to stage the race from $13 million to $26 million.
However, Turkish Automobile Sports Federation Chairman Mumtaz Tahincioglu was quoted in local media as saying that talks with Ecclestone, who also promotes the race, had been positive.
"We sat down with Ecclestone and Youth and Sport General Director Yunus Akgul and discussed the plans that we could implement," Tahincioglu was quoted as saying.
"Both sides are trying to solve this issue. Comparing before the race and the current situation, there is a 50 percent difference."
Although the Istanbul Park track has become a favourite with drivers since its introduction in 2005, the race itself has proved difficult to sell to the public with high ticket prices blamed.
Official figures released on Sunday put the race day crowd at 42,000, although some paddock observers questioned the numbers.
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"We will do everything we can. We will talk with Ecclestone," said Akgul.
"We want this race to stay but it is not the be all and end all.
"We will keep this track alive in every way. There are other races, we will go to them. We definitely want Formula (One) to stay here and we will do everything we can.
"The draft calendar will be discussed on June 3. Even if the issue is not resolved by that date, we must get into the draft."
Formula One teams and drivers hoped the race would stay on the calendar.
"It's a good circuit, it's a great city, we enjoy coming here and I think all the teams are of that mind," said McLaren team principal Martin Whitmarsh.
"It is a very special place for me. I won three times, especially the first time it was a big fight with Fernando (Alonso) and Michael (Schumacher) in 2006," said Ferrari's Felipe Massa.
"We will miss it if we are not coming here next year."
