General view of drivers during the 2010 F1 race in Turkey
The Istanbul Park circuit in Turkey will rejoin the Formula 1 calendar from 2027, with a minimum five-year commitment, the Turkish presidency announced on Friday, concluding a prolonged campaign by the country to host the championship again.
While the full details of the deal were not immediately disclosed, President Tayyip Erdogan is set to officially announce the agreement at an event in Istanbul on Friday evening, alongside F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali and FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem.
The circuit, located on the Asian side of Istanbul, is highly regarded by both drivers and fans, though its last race was held in 2021 as a replacement during the COVID-19 pandemic. It also hosted grands prix from 2005 to 2011 and again in the 2020 season, when Lewis Hamilton won the race and clinched his seventh world title, equaling Michael Schumacher’s record.
After that event, Turkey continued negotiations for a return to the calendar, but momentum stalled from 2022 onward, partly due to the tens of millions of dollars required to secure a deal—funding that other countries like Qatar were able to provide.
However, in 2024, Can Bilim Egitim Kurumlari A.S., a company with ties to Lale Cander, head of Pirelli’s Turkish subsidiary, acquired the operating rights for Istanbul Park for 30 years at roughly $117.8 million. Under the agreement, the new operators were tasked with bringing F1 back on a long-term contract before 2026, but negotiations in partnership with the Turkish Automobile Sports Federation (TOSFED) stalled.
In February, Domenicali confirmed that Istanbul Park was close to returning to the calendar, potentially alternating with an existing race, with the season’s total number of grands prix remaining capped at 24.