Felipe Massa walks back into Istanbul like a man returning to his own circuit.
Days before he climbs into a Formula 1 car again to mark the 20th anniversary of his first F1 win, the Brazilian spent Saturday not in a garage, but under domes and stone vaults, tracing the city that turned him into the “King of Istanbul.”
A champion among columns and crowds
Massa’s day began beneath the streets. He toured the Basilica Cistern, the sixth-century underground reservoir on Istanbul’s Historic Peninsula, a cool, echoing contrast to the heat and roar he once commanded at nearby Istanbul Park.
From there he moved through the city’s most famous skyline markers: Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque, then Sultanahmet Square, the historic heart on the European side. Tourists took photos; racing fans closed in. Here, the helmets and overalls were gone, but the recognition was instant.
Hosted by the Türkiye Tourism Promotion and Development Agency (TGA) under the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Massa later appeared at an “F1 Movie Night” at the open-air Atatürk Cultural Center (AKM) in Taksim, an event that blended nostalgia with a very deliberate look ahead to 2027.
He didn’t hide what the city means to him.
“I love Türkiye, I love Istanbul. I am very happy to be back after so long. Istanbul is a very special city for me. I experienced some of the best moments of my life and career here,” he said, the words matching the welcome he received.
King of Istanbul Park
Few drivers own a circuit the way Massa once owned Istanbul Park.
From 2006 to 2008, he won three straight Turkish Grands Prix for Ferrari, a streak that carved his name into the asphalt and earned him that enduring nickname: “King of Istanbul.” Three of his 11 career F1 victories came at this track alone.
He spoke again about why Istanbul Park still stands apart on the calendar: a layout that knits together high-speed and low-speed corners with real elevation change, a proper driver’s circuit. Corner eight remains the calling card, a long, punishing left-hander that hammers drivers with heavy G-forces and exposes any weakness in car or courage.
That is where Massa built his legend here. That is where someone else will try to take it from him.
2027: Istanbul back on the map
The city will not have to wait long for a new generation of heroes. The Istanbul Grand Prix is set to rejoin the Formula 1 calendar for a five-year run starting October 1–3, 2027.
The prospect clearly excites Massa. Asked about the race’s return, he pointed to drivers like Lando Norris and Lewis Hamilton as perfectly suited to Istanbul Park’s rhythm and demands, and he expects the local response to be fierce once the paddock rolls back into town.
His own record is already under threat in his mind. Massa openly admitted that three consecutive wins at the circuit can be matched, maybe beaten. He named Kimi Antonelli, Max Verstappen and Norris as the kind of talents capable of stringing together a similar run if the machinery and circumstances line up.
The crown is there. Someone just has to take it.
Ferrari in the heart, Mercedes on the grid
Massa’s loyalty, though, remains fixed.
Asked which team he would drive for if he ever returned to Formula 1, he acknowledged the obvious: Mercedes sit at the sharp end of the grid and represent the competitive benchmark. But that isn’t where his heart goes.
Ferrari, he said, is still “family.” The word carried weight. This is the team with which he fought for a world title, shared a garage with Michael Schumacher and built the most defining chapters of his career.
The unfinished fight of 2008
That 2008 chapter still isn’t closed for him.
Massa again underlined his belief that his championship that season slipped away because of the “Crashgate” scandal, the manipulated Singapore Grand Prix that reshaped the title fight. He has taken that grievance into the courts, pursuing legal action against the FIA, FOM and former F1 chief executive Bernie Ecclestone over the season’s outcome. The case remains live, a reminder that some wounds in elite sport never fully heal.
On the other side of that story sits Schumacher, the seven-time world champion who shared the Ferrari garage with Massa and helped shape his career. Massa described him once more as a mentor who became “like family,” a relationship that still defines how he talks about his time in red.
A city, a circuit, and a legacy
Now, as Istanbul prepares for its 2027 return to the calendar, Massa stands at a rare crossroads: part tourist, part legend, part litigant, part ambassador.
He has walked the ancient stones, greeted the fans, and soon he will feel Istanbul Park’s corners bite again in a test drive that doubles as a personal anniversary lap. The track has changed drivers, cars, regulations. The nickname has not.
The “King of Istanbul” is back in his city. The only question is who will dare to challenge his throne when Formula 1 follows him here in 2027.
