- Ben Sulayem floats Istanbul Park as potential replacement for cancelled races.
- Turkey’s homologation status holds the key to a potential 2026 debut.
- With war reshaping the calendar, F1’s season-end schedule hangs in the balance.
FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem has raised the possibility of Turkey joining the 2026 Formula 1 calendar ahead of its planned 2027 debut.
He made the suggestion in response to the cancellation of the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grands Prix. Both races were scrapped on 14 March following the outbreak of the 2026 Iran war.
Istanbul Park could fill the gap, Ben Sulayem said, provided the circuit completes its FIA homologation process in time.
A calendar in flux after Middle East cancellations
The disruption began on 28 February 2026, when the United States and Israel launched airstrikes against Iran.
Iran responded with counterattacks on American military bases across the Middle East, including in Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, all of which host Formula 1 races.
The Bahrain and Saudi Arabian rounds were subsequently removed from the schedule, cutting the season from 24 races to 22.
Organisers reviewed alternatives including Portimao, Imola and Istanbul Park, but ruled them all out due to insufficient time to arrange a race at short notice.
The cancellations left a five-week gap between the Japanese Grand Prix on 29 March and the Miami GP on 3 May.
Teams used the unplanned break for factory work and to prepare upgrades ahead of Miami. The question of whether those two lost races could be recovered later in the season has remained open since then.
Ben Sulayem suggests Turkey as a contingency plan
As RacingNews365 reported, several options are under consideration to address the loss of races.
One involves Bahrain or Saudi Arabia slotting into the gap between the Azerbaijan and Singapore rounds, across the 2-4 October window.
Another would see a quadruple header appended to the end of the season, with the finale pushed as late as 13 December.
Ben Sulayem has now put a third option on the table. He said Turkey could step in this year if Istanbul Park completes its homologation and meets its other requirements.
“Around Qatar, you could delay one week, push everything,” he told RacingNews365. “If not, then maybe we could have Turkey this year if it finishes its homologation, and the rest of their needs.”
He was careful to set limits on how far the sport would stretch to make it work. He said any solution must avoid placing unreasonable pressure on staff and event personnel.
“Logistically, [it’s a case of] what’s the best scenario? We’re consulting with the promoters,” he said.
“It’s about where we want to go, and we will try to facilitate. But not without putting stress on our staff. That would be too much.”
Istanbul Park’s long road back to the calendar
On 24 April, F1 officially confirmed Istanbul Park’s return through a new five-year agreement with Turkey’s Ministry of Youth and Sports, with the Turkish Automobile Sports Federation serving as the delivery partner.
The announcement came at a ceremony at Istanbul’s Dolmabahce Palace, attended by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali and Ben Sulayem.
The 14-turn circuit, which sits on the Asian side of Istanbul, has a well-regarded reputation among drivers and fans. It last held an F1 race in 2021.
Before that, it was part of the original calendar from 2005 to 2011. The circuit returned in 2020 to serve as a stand-in during the COVID-19 pandemic when Lewis Hamilton clinched his seventh world championship there.
Talks to restore the race stalled after 2021, partly because the hosting fees ran into the tens of millions of dollars.
That changed in 2024, when Can Bilim Egitim Kurumlari A.S., a company connected to Lale Cander, the chair of Pirelli’s Turkish branch, secured a 30-year operating deal for the circuit.
Bringing the race forward by a year, however, is not straightforward. The track still needs to pass the FIA’s homologation checks, a condition Ben Sulayem acknowledged directly.
A final decision on Turkey’s involvement in 2026 is not expected before the summer.
Safety first as end-of-season uncertainty grows
The broader picture remains uncertain. The final two rounds of the season are currently set for Qatar on 29 Nov. and Abu Dhabi on 6 Dec., but Ben Sulayem acknowledged that neither can be treated as secure while the conflict continues.
He was direct about how the sport views the situation.
“There is a bigger issue than just motorsport,” he said. “It is the way we live, it’s the changes, it’s the stress in that area.”
He also praised the response of Gulf state governments, saying their decision not to escalate showed wisdom and strength. His own position on the priorities was unambiguous.
“Sport can wait,” he said. “What is more important? Humans or motorsport? Or any sport? Humans are always the priority.” He added: “God forbid, if it goes on to October, November, we’ll just have to not go because security and safety come first.”
There is further pressure on the schedule from another direction.
Reports indicate that F1 teams are pushing back against a potential quadruple header at the end of the season, which would see Las Vegas, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Abu Dhabi run across four consecutive weeks.
That resistance could strengthen the case for Turkey if Istanbul Park can satisfy the FIA’s requirements before the summer deadline.
Formula 1 has faced bigger questions than where to hold a race. For now, it waits on the answer to those first.
