F1 bring back historic race after five-year absence in major announcement
Formula One are set to bring back an iconic race next year after a five-year absence
Formula One will welcome the return of the Turkish Grand Prix in 2027 after a five-year absence. The Istanbul Park circuit will once again provide a thrilling race on the F1 circuit with news of its re-addition to the calendar being confirmed on Friday.
Initially hosted from 2005 to 2011 before it was revived in 2020 and 2021, the third iteration of the iconic race will launch on the 2027 race schedule and will remain there for the next five seasons. The global launch of the Turkish Grand Prix was held on Friday in Istanbul with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan launching the event while F1's official X account confirmed the news in a post that read: "The Turkish Grand Prix will return to the calendar from 2027 as part of a new five-year agreement."
Speaking at the event, Erdogan said: "The return of the Turkish Grand Prix to the Formula 1 calendar is a victory for Türkiye’s passion and belief in sport. The Formula 1 races to be held at Istanbul Park for five years will support İstanbul’s leading position in the world."
The Istanbul circuit layout stretches 5.338km and possesses the infamous Turn 8 - regarded as one of the most iconic and challenging corners in F1. It is a multi-apex, super-speedy left-hander which Lewis Hamilton notably branded it a "great corner" during the 2011 edition of the race.
Previously explaining the unique challenge that Turn 8 provides the drivers with, Hamilton said: "You enter it on full throttle, and once in it is a corner where you are continuously building up lateral G-force. And you really have to be quite precise with the line that you take. It is also important how much minimum speed you carry through the whole corner, as you carry it all the way down the next straight."
Sky has upgraded its Ultimate TV and Sky Sports bundle to now include HBO Max, Netflix, Disney+, discovery+ and Hayu, as well as 135 channels and full Sky coverage of the Premier League and EFL.
There have been nine Turkish grands prix in F1 history with 2007 world champion Kimi Raikkonen winning the inaugural race in 2005. Brazilian legend Felipe Massa then held dominance at Istanbul Park circuit during his tenure at Ferrari as he won three straight races between 2006 and 2008.
Jenson Button became the first Brit to win the race during his title-winning campaign in 2009 with Hamilton following up with a victory in 2010. Sebastian Vettel picked up the honour of winning the race in 2011 as he picked up back-to-back world titles at Red Bull. After an eight-year absence, it returned for 2020 and 2021 with Hamilton earning his second Istanbul victory before then-Mercedes team-mate Valtteri Bottas becoming the final winner of the Turkish Grand Prix.
