Bernie Ecclestone once said he was ‘genuinely upset’ when F1 stopped visiting two circuits, Sebastian Vettel would agree

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The Formula 1 calendar is one of the most exclusive sporting schedules in the world, with countries and tracks fighting to be one of the 24 venues visited each year.

When Bernie Ecclestone was in charge of Formula 1, he had plenty of ideas on how to grow the sport globally.

There are certain circuits, such as Silverstone and Monaco, which appear to be guaranteed to be F1 venues forever.

However, Spa will be rotated off the calendar in 2028, something racing purists wouldn’t have believed was possible just a few years ago.

This has opened up opportunities for new countries to showcase racing elsewhere, with the newest additions being in Qatar and Las Vegas.

There have also been examples of tracks that had a very limited time being featured in the sport.

Ecclestone explained that he was ‘genuinely upset’ when two of these circuits fell off the schedule after just a few events.

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Bernie Ecclestone was ‘upset’ that Formula 1 stopped racing at the Turkish and Indian Grand Prix

Ecclestone was asked what part of his job in Formula 1 gave him the most satisfaction during a 2016 interview with Top Gear.

He said: “I suppose it’s knowing when you’ve come up with an idea that works, when you’ve got it right, whatever it is.

“I’m very, very happy with these races. I was delighted with Baku. People said I was completely mad; I was so happy when it all turned out all right.”

He was then asked where he would want to go next and continued: “Turkey. Two races we’ve lost, which I’m genuinely upset about, were India and Turkey.”

It was then put to him that countries like France and Germany were in danger of losing their places on the calendar, which they eventually did, and whether F1 had good substitutes for these tracks going forward, and he explained: “It’s not as easy as that…

“It’s disappointing to think that all these countries spend a lot of money trying to get the Olympics. Which, obviously, is not the easiest thing to do, and nobody makes any money out of.

“Yet, for the small amount of money they could [invest] in a Formula 1 race, they don’t want to do it…”

READ MORE: Why Bernie Ecclestone and Nico Rosberg once agreed Fernando Alonso isn’t one of F1’s greatest drivers

Why Sebastian Vettel would agree with Bernie Ecclestone on the Indian Grand Prix

There has been talk recently that the Turkish Grand Prix wants to return to the F1 calendar, especially if the newest race set to be hosted in Madrid in 2026 isn’t ready.

The Turkish Grand Prix hosted races every year between 2005 and 2011, with Felipe Massa winning at the Istanbul Park circuit more than any other driver, securing three victories between 2006 and 2008.

Lance Stroll took his only F1 pole position at the circuit in 2020 when Turkey hosted a race during a disrupted Covid season, before Valtteri Bottas won the following year when F1 visited the track for the last time.

The Indian Grand Prix had a much shorter tenure on the calendar, but was dominated by Sebastian Vettel.

F1 only visited the Buddh International Circuit three times, but Vettel won all three races between 2011 and 2013.

Talk of a return to the Indian Grand Prix emerged two years ago, but with so many circuits hoping to catch Liberty Media’s eye, it doesn’t appear to be close to the top of the list.