Istanbul Park, which has hosted the Turkish Grand Prix several times, has undergone a change of ownership, and the new investors definitely want to lure the king category back to the venue. They would organize a race in 2026 at the earliest.
Between 2005 and 2011, Turkey had a permanent place in the racing calendar, and the track soon stole into the hearts of fans and drivers alike (turn eight almost immediately became a classic, a well-loved stage). After it was dropped from the calendar in 2011, it seemed that the venue would lose Formula 1 for good, but in 2020, the race organization received a new impetus.
The 2020 and 2021 calendar, which was changed due to the pandemic, once again had a place for Istanbul Park, and since then we have read several times that the authorities are discussing the return of the Turkish Grand Prix with the leaders of F1 and the FIA.
For example, the head of the association recently consulted with the president of Turkey about the return of the country’s rally and F1 races, although he emphasized that the decision on the latter will not be made by the association, but by the management of Formula 1. But he indicated that there is still an intention for Istanbul to return to the rotation of the king category.
Photo: XPB
We are perhaps one step closer to this now, as the track has fallen into the hands of new owners, who are said to have undertaken to lure Formula 1 back to the venue (as well as bringing several other series to Istanbul Park).
The new owner, Lale Cander, who is also the president of Pirelli’s subsidiary in Turkey, agreed to modernize the track as part of a 117 million dollar investment. He is confident of a comeback. “Formula 1 has great prestige and its presence increases the prestige of the country” – he started
“There will be countries that are expected to drop out of the competition calendar in 2026, so Turkey can again host the competition. in addition to Formula 1, we will also bring other events to Istanbul Park” added the businessman.
