A press conference was held at TOSFED Istanbul Park with the participation of Minister of Culture and Tourism Mehmet Nuri Ersoy, Minister of Youth and Sports Osman Aşkın Bak and TOSFED President Eren Üçlertoprağı regarding the inclusion of Istanbul in the Formula 1 calendar.
Stating that the statement made by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan at the Formula 1 Turkish Grand Prix (GP) Promotion Program held yesterday in the garden of the Dolmabahçe Work Office was the finishing line of a long marathon for them. Minister of Culture and Tourism Mehmet Nuri ErsoyHe stated that they reached the end with the coordinated work of many stakeholders.
Emphasizing that Istanbul Park will be included in the Formula 1 calendar for at least 5 years as of 2027, Minister Ersoy said, “As the Ministry, we focus on the achievements of Formula 1. We see that Formula 1 increases tourism demand by 6 percent. Formula 1 is the reason for preference for people who have not considered that city before for a holiday destination.” he said.
Underlining that Istanbul is the meeting point of two continents, Minister Ersoy said, “We will study and prepare in the best way possible. We examined the last race held in Singapore. We must channel the leverage effect of Formula 1 to Istanbul. Formula 1 brings qualified tourists. Singapore data reveals that those who come for the race constitute 40 percent of the total expenditure.” he said. “Istanbul, the capital of empires and the meeting point of civilizations, is ready for this organization. Turkey Tourism Promotion and Development Agency (TGA) has started joint work in many areas, especially in Formula 1 management. We will implement a comprehensive F1 campaign in the target foreign markets before the race. I would like to thank our President for their interest and patronage and all the stakeholders who brought this organization back to our country. May it be beneficial to our country and Istanbul.”
Minister of Youth and Sports Osman Aşkın Bak“There was great enthusiasm when our esteemed President announced to the world that Formula 1 was coming to Istanbul again. We thank our Minister of Culture and Tourism. We talked about how we would evaluate this track, which is within the General Directorate of Foundations, together and we started working.” He made a statement.
Emphasizing that they set out by listening to everyone who had previously worked in Formula 1, Minister Bak said, “When we come together with young people, we ask ‘Will Formula 1 come?’ they asked. It is an organization held in various countries around the world and has certain costs. It’s a big industry. But we want to tell about the excitement, this place is now a center of attraction for young people. Young people will be part of the organization followed by thousands, millions of young people. This place will now be the center of adrenaline and energy in Türkiye. “It’s a great start.” he said.
Minister Bak underlined that Istanbul Park is one of the biggest sports investments in the history of the Republic and said: “There is a need for modernization here and we will do it. I believe that we will do good work in this process. Additional championships will be held. Various fairs and organizations will be here. The vision of our President made us happy. He knows sports very well. We will organize the 2032 European Football Championship together with Italy. We thank everyone who contributed, good luck. Together, we will show the power of Türkiye to the whole world.”
TOSFED President Eren Üçlertoprağısaid that they had an emotional and important day. Stating that they have come to the end of a long journey, Üçlertoprağı stated that this dream started 10 years ago. Emphasizing that many things changed when Serkan Yazıcı became the president of the federation in 2016, Üçlertoprağı said, “When Serkan Yazıcı became the president of the federation, the situation was not very encouraging. There was a federation that had broken ties with the state. Thank God, we are now fulfilling a very important mission with the power we received from our state. It was very important that our President gave permission for this project. I think we have achieved a very important success with the opportunities provided by our state. The track has not been held in any race for more than 10 years. It was closed. We are happy to bring Formula 1 back to our country today. It is very important to bring Formula 1 to our country with the great visions of our two Ministers. Negotiations lasted for 15 months. Accordingly, the interest of Formula 1 in the world and the achievements have become very important. made the statement.
Following the speeches, Minister of Culture and Tourism Mehmet Nuri Ersoy, Minister of Youth and Sports Osman Aşkın Bak and TOSFED President Eren Üçlertoprağı inspected the track. After the checkered flag start by Minister Ersoy and Minister Bak, Patrick Friesacher drove the Red Bull team’s vehicle in Istanbul Park.
Source:https://automobilemagazine.com.tr/formula1-takvimine-alinmasiyla-ilgili-basin-toplantisi
Automobile Magazine – English News
