The years-long wait is finally over for Turkish fans as Formula 1 is officially heading back to Turkey. The Turkish presidency announced on Friday that the Istanbul Park has secured a long-term deal to host the Turkish Grands Prix for at least five years, starting in the 2027 season.
While the final fine print is still under wraps, the homecoming will be made official this Friday afternoon. President Tayyip Erdogan is set to headline a feature at the launch event in Istanbul, standing alongside F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali and FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem to usher in this new era of Turkish motorsport.
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A favorite for its high-speed "Turn 8" and challenging elevation changes, the circuit on Istanbul's Asian side hasn't seen F1 action since its 2021 stint as a COVID-19 pandemic-era replacement. The track holds a legendary status in the sport's history, having hosted a successful run from 2005 to 2011 and serving as the backdrop for Lewis Hamilton's historic seventh world title victory in 2020. Now, after years on the sidelines, the "Turkish Delight" of the racing world is ready to take its permanent place back on the grid.
While Turkey continued negotiations to return to the calendar after that event, momentum slowed from 2022 onwards partly due to the tens of millions of dollars needed to secure a deal that competitors, such as Qatar, were able to finance.
But in 2024, Can Bilim Egitim Kurumlari A.S., part-owned by F1 tyre provider Pirelli's Turkish branch chairman Lale Cander, earned rights to operate the Istanbul Park circuit for a 30-year period for some $117.8 million.
Under the deal, the new operators were tasked with bringing F1 back in a long-term deal by 2026, but the talks, carried out jointly with the Turkish AutomobileSportsFederation (TOSFED), stalled.
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In February, Domenicaliconfirmedthat Istanbul Park was close to a return to the calendar in rotation with an existing race and that the number of races in the season would still be capped at 24.
(With inputs from Reuters)