Formula 1 has confirmed that the Turkish Grand Prix will return to the calendar from 2027. On Friday morning, the Turkish government announced that the premier class of motorsport will race again at Istanbul Park. The Turkish Grand Prix signs a five-year contract.
Istanbul Park first entered the Formula 1 calendar in 2005 and quickly gained a reputation as a demanding circuit. In 2011, the track disappeared from the calendar again, before the circuit briefly returned in 2020 and 2021. Istanbul Park was able to organize a Formula 1 race during the corona crisis.
At the time, Mercedes drivers were the most successful. Valtteri Bottas won the most recent edition of the Turkish Grand Prix. The year before, Lewis Hamilton won in Istanbul. With that victory, the British driver won his seventh world title. Max Verstappen has never won the Turkish Grand Prix.
Turkish GP winners
2021: Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes)
2020: Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
2011: Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull Racing-Renault)
2010: Lewis Hamilton (McLaren-Mercedes)
2009: Jenson Button (Brawn-Mercedes)
2008: Felipe Massa (Ferrari)
2007: Felipe Massa (Ferrari)
2006: Felipe Massa (Ferrari)
2005: Kimi Raikkonen (McLaren-Mercedes)
“Also in our country, Formula 1 has broad popularity among all age groups,” says Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. “The races reach almost 19 million people in our country, while approximately 7.5 million people actively follow the sport via social media. I hope that the cooperation between Turkey and Formula 1 will further strengthen in the coming years.”
“We are excited to return to Istanbul from 2027, to entertain all our fans in Turkey and worldwide on one of the most exciting and challenging circuits in Formula 1,” said Formula 1 CEO Stefano Domenicali. “The city offers a unique blend of history and tradition, combined with a progressive approach to sports and entertainment.”
Istanbul Park is not the only circuit that will return to the Formula 1 calendar in 2027. Next year, the Formula 1 circus will also travel to Portimão for the Portuguese Grand Prix. That circuit was on the calendar in 2020 and 2021. Hamilton won both races. So two circuits return for Verstappen where he has never won.
The Portuguese Grand Prix is the direct replacement for the Zandvoort race. This year the circuit is organizing the (for now) last edition of the Dutch Grand Prix. It remains to be seen whether a certain circuit should make way for Istanbul Park.
Pierre Gasly, Alpine driver, dropped out Canal+ namely that the 2027 calendar would “probably” have 25 races. That is bad news for Verstappen, because the Dutchman hopes for fewer races per season.
This year there were originally 24 grands prix on the program. Due to the war in Iran, the races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia were removed from the calendar.
