Make no mistake about it. I am a big Formula 1 fan. I have been for years. But I just don’t get it.. having races in places that are completely meaningless for the fans. Take for example Turkey. What were they smoking when it was agreed to race there? How many people who live there even know what F1 is or can afford a ticket? Looking at the attendance… very few.
Why didn’t the TV coverage or the press photos show all the people in the stands? They are embarrassed to admit that no one realy came. Mark Webber of Red Bull Racing says Turkish fans should have been allowed into Sunday’s grand prix for free after very poor attendance figures at the Istanbul circuit. Official figures said just 36,000 three-day tickets were sold for the circuit with a capacity for 130,000 people. Most of the grandstands were empty during the weekend, with some of then covered with giant black cloths and banners (look at the picture). The same thing happened in China this April. They covered the empty grand stands with banners.
and now they want to have a grand prix in India??