Formula 1 set to return to Istanbul Park from 2027

Formula 1 has picked Istanbul Park for one of its clearest commercial bets in years. The Turkish Grand Prix will return in 2027 and remain on the calendar through 2031 under a new agreement with Türkiye’s Ministry of Youth and Sports, with the Turkish Automobile Sports Federation, or TOSFED, serving as delivery partner.

The deal gives Turkey more than a race date. It restores a venue that has already proven it can deliver global attention, from Istanbul Park’s original run between 2005 and 2011 to its COVID-era returns in 2020 and 2021. The 2020 race carried unusual weight: Lewis Hamilton won in Istanbul and clinched his seventh world championship, equalling Michael Schumacher’s record. For Formula 1, that history matters because the series is not only filling a vacancy, but reactivating a circuit with recognition among teams, broadcasters and fans.

The timing also reveals how tightly contested the modern Formula 1 calendar has become. The 2027 opening emerged partly because Zandvoort ends after 2026, while Barcelona and Spa-Francorchamps move to rotation agreements. Formula 1 has said the season is expected to stay capped at 24 races, so every addition is also a displacement. In that environment, Istanbul is not simply back on the map, it has won a rare slot in a schedule shaped by scarcity, television reach and political support.

Turkey’s push for a return has been years in the making, and the announcement ceremony underlined how much the country wanted to turn motorsport into statecraft. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, FIA president Mohammed ben Sulayem and Formula 1 chief executive Stefano Domenicali attended the event in Istanbul’s Dolmabahce area on April 24, 2026. A Formula One car was driven from Galataport to the Presidential Office in Dolmabahce as part of the launch, a piece of pageantry that reflected the scale of the government’s ambitions.

The commercial dimension is just as important. In 2024, Can Bilim Egitim Kurumlari AS won 30-year operating rights to Istanbul Park for about $117.8 million, and the tender conditions reportedly required a long-term Formula 1 agreement by 2026. The new five-year commitment through 2031 now appears to satisfy that goal, while giving Istanbul a chance to capture tourism spending, sponsorship interest and international exposure around one of the sport’s most recognizable venues. For Formula 1, it expands geographic diversity without adding pressure to an already crowded calendar. For Turkey, it is a bid to turn a racetrack into a lasting asset in the global competition for prestige and visitors.