Formula 1 is going back to Istanbul Park. The sport has confirmed that the Turkish Grand Prix will return to the calendar from 2027 under a five-year agreement, locking the venue in through to the end of the 2031 season.
It is one of the highest-profile additions to the post-2027 calendar so far, and it brings back a circuit that drivers, engineers and fans have been campaigning to see again ever since its last appearance in 2021. Istanbul Park's 5.33-kilometre layout, with its dramatic elevation changes and the famously punishing Turn 8, is widely regarded as one of the strongest driver circuits Formula 1 has ever raced on.
F1 President and CEO Stefano Domenicali confirmed the deal in a statement that emphasised both the city and the symbolism of returning to it.
"We are delighted to be returning to the incredible and vibrant city of Istanbul from 2027," Domenicali said. "Istanbul represents a cultural gateway between Europe and Asia."
The political weight behind the deal was on display too. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan welcomed the agreement publicly, framing the Grand Prix as a long-term commitment rather than a one-off return.
"Formula 1 ranks among the world's foremost sporting events," Erdogan said. "Istanbul Park will host five seasons of exciting races between 2027 and 2031."
"We have secured the return of Formula 1 Turkish GP," he said. "Preparations are already well underway for the race, scheduled for 2027."
The announcement is significant for several reasons. The Turkish Grand Prix has hosted nine F1 events since first joining the calendar in 2005, and almost every appearance has produced a memorable result — Felipe Massa's hat-trick of wins from 2006 to 2008, Lewis Hamilton's championship-clinching drive in 2020, and Valtteri Bottas's wet-weather masterclass in 2021. The circuit has consistently rewarded drivers who can manage tyres and read changing grip levels, qualities the new generation of cars is designed to test.
It also lands at a moment when F1 is rebalancing its calendar. The sport has been under pressure to bring back classic European and Eurasian venues to offset the heavy expansion in the Middle East and the Americas. Bahrain is reportedly being considered for an October slot in a future season, and Imola, Spa and Zandvoort have all been part of recent calendar negotiations. Istanbul slotting back in through 2031 gives Liberty Media a long-running anchor outside of the traditional Western European bloc.
For the drivers, the news will land well. Multiple current grid members have raced at Istanbul Park in junior categories or in 2021, and Verstappen, Hamilton, Leclerc and Russell have all spoken publicly about it as a circuit they would welcome back. With the 2026 cars built around heavier energy management and longer braking demands, Istanbul's combination of high-speed corners, undulating sectors and demanding tyre wear should suit the new regulations rather than expose them.
The contract running to 2031 effectively guarantees that the next generation of F1 drivers will all race at Istanbul Park during their primes. After more than a decade of the Turkish Grand Prix being treated as a fill-in venue or a one-season substitute, it now has the kind of stability that the sport's heritage circuits rarely get on first return.
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*Originally published on [NewsFormula One](https://newsformula.one/article/turkish-grand-prix-returns-2027-istanbul-park-five-year-deal-domenicali-erdogan). Visit for full coverage.*
