- Turkish GP confirmed for 2027 under a long-term deal backed by Turkish state.
- Istanbul Park’s legendary Turn 8 awaits a new generation of Formula 1 drivers.
- Domenicali, Erdogan and Bosphorus demo run signal F1’s biggest shift in years.
The Turkish GP is coming back to Formula 1. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan hosted Formula 1 CEO Stefano Domenicali at the Presidential Dolmabahce Working Office in Istanbul on Friday.
The two formally announced the sport’s return to Turkey. Istanbul Park will re-enter the calendar from the 2027 season under a long-term agreement backed by the Turkish Ministry of Youth and Sports.
Negotiations are understood to have reached their final stage, according to Motorsport.com.
The deal is reported to run for five years, though some accounts suggest it could extend to seven years, lasting until 2033. The circuit’s tender process, which concluded in 2024, set the agreement in motion.
A campaign built on presidential backing
The push to bring Formula 1 back to Turkey began at the very top of government. President Erdogan met FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem in 2024 to open discussions about the sport’s return.
From that point, the Turkish Automobile Sports Federation, known as TOSFED, led the formal negotiations with F1 and FIA management.
TOSFED president Eren Uclertopragi described the government’s commitment as concrete and unconditional.
“I am happy to say that, thankfully, our president, minister of culture and tourism, and minister of youth and sports are all seriously supporting the project to bring Formula 1 back to Turkey,” he told Motorsport.com in 2025.
He added that all financial obligations tied to the race would be met under direct state guarantee.
Uclertopragi also pointed to a scheduling logic that made Turkey an attractive proposition for the teams. A potential back-to-back slot with the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in Baku would reduce travel costs and cut logistical complexity.
“September is a month when the weather is good in Istanbul, and students return to school,” he said.
Domenicali had offered a hint of what was coming during pre-season testing in Bahrain earlier this year.
“Turkey is not, let’s say, 100 per cent confirmed. Stay tuned on Turkey, let me put it this way,” he said during a media conference call.
He also used the moment to push back against the view that F1 was moving too far toward street circuits, arguing that venues like Istanbul Park brought genuine heritage to the sport.
“These are tracks with heritage and a great racing background,” he said.
Istanbul Park: the circuit F1 never truly forgot
Istanbul Park opened in 2005. German architect Hermann Tilke designed it on the Asian side of the city, cutting the layout through hilly terrain with sharp elevation changes and 14 corners spread over 5.338 kilometres.
Former F1 chief executive Bernie Ecclestone once called it “the best race track in the world.”
The circuit’s reputation rests largely on Turn 8, a four-apex left-hander known as the Diabolica. Drivers carry enormous speed through it while managing sustained lateral forces on both themselves and their tyres.
Lewis Hamilton described the demands of the corner plainly. “You enter it on full throttle, and once in it is a corner where you are continuously building up lateral G-force,” he said. “And you really have to be quite precise with the line that you take.”
George Russell, speaking ahead of the 2020 race, offered a measure of the physical cost: “It’s 4-5G of load, which is like the equivalent of 45 kilos, 50 kilos on our necks that we have to sustain for the six seconds.”
A storied history of drama and glory
The inaugural Turkish Grand Prix in 2005 was won by Kimi Raikkonen driving for McLaren. That same race saw Juan Pablo Montoya set the outright lap record of 1:24.770, a mark that has never been beaten.
Felipe Massa then dominated the venue like no other driver. The Brazilian won three successive races for Ferrari between 2006 and 2008.
Massa later reflected that Istanbul Park was where he truly found his footing as a race winner and where his career changed direction.
The 2010 race produced one of the most talked-about incidents of that era. Teammates Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber collided while running first and second for Red Bull.
Vettel retired after suffering a puncture. Webber salvaged third place. The collision deepened a rivalry that ran through their partnership for years.
Vettel’s 2011 victory, the last before a nine-year absence from the calendar, produced more pit stops and overtaking moves in dry conditions than any F1 race before it.
The circuit returned during the Covid-disrupted 2020 season and delivered something close to the extraordinary. Fresh asphalt and persistent rain made the track treacherous for everyone.
Hamilton started sixth, nursed a set of worn intermediate tyres for 50 laps, and crossed the line to win his seventh world championship, equalling Michael Schumacher’s all-time record.
Mercedes’ trackside engineering director Andrew Shovlin later called it “one of the most challenging we’ve faced.”
Fitting into F1’s evolving calendar
The Turkey GP’s return coincides with a broader restructuring of how F1 manages its calendar. From 2027, the sport will, for the first time, introduce a rotation system for certain grands prix.
Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium becomes a rotational event, alternating with the Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona through to 2032.
The Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort concludes after the 2026 season, creating a vacancy that Turkey is now expected to fill.
Portugal’s Portimao circuit has also rejoined on a two-year deal, making the 2027 calendar one of the more varied in recent memory.
Domenicali has confirmed that the calendar will not grow beyond 24 races a season.
That ceiling means any new race must displace, rotate or replace an existing one. Turkey’s long-term deal is structured to give the event a stable position inside this new system.
The Dolmabahce launch event also outlined plans to upgrade Istanbul Park’s facilities, improve spectator infrastructure and pursue sustainability projects in keeping with F1’s environmental commitments.
Turkish officials estimate the race will generate significant economic returns for both the tourism sector and the broader economy.
The commercial case and what comes next
Turkey brings a strong commercial profile to its renewed place on the calendar.
The country has a population of close to 90 million, annual car sales of more than one million, a circuit certified to FIA Grade 1 standard and a venue capacity of 125,000 spectators.
In 2025, TOSFED took over the operating rights of Istanbul Park, giving the federation direct control of circuit management ahead of the return.
As part of the launch celebrations, Red Bull Racing’s Yuki Tsunoda is set to drive a demonstration run through the streets of Istanbul along the Bosphorus, according to Türkiye Today.
The formal announcement answers years of speculation. Exact race dates, the full schedule of track upgrades and the finer details of the rotational calendar are still to be confirmed.
But the deal is done, and the circuit is ready. Turn 8 will have a grid of Formula 1 cars flowing through it once more from 2027.
