Formula 1 is returning to Portugal in 2027 and 2028. It has been announced on Tuesday that a deal has been made with the Portuguese government, the promoter of the Portugal Grand Prix and Formula 1, for a return to the Portimão, a circuit that played a key role in the seasons marked by the Covid-19 pandemic (2020 and 2021).
The Algarve International Circuit, first opened in 2008, did not initially feature in the official Formula 1 calendar that year, but was picked as a replacement for other races that were cancelled due to the pandemic, first held in October 2020, and held again in 2021. Drivers and fans were pleased by the hilly circuit (labelled as a "roller coaster"), specially Lewis Hamilton, where he scored his 92th Grand Prix victory in 2020, surpassing Michael Scumacher's previous record for most F1 wins. Hamilton won again in 2021.
Portugal has a rich history with Formula 1, with the first sports car race event dating as back as 1951, and the first Formula 1 race in 1958. Portugal held a Grand Prix between 1984 and 1996 at the Autódromo do Estoril, where Ayrton Senna famously won his first race in 1985, but Portugal was left without a Grand Prix since 1996, with the exception of the two "pandemic" years.
"The interest and demand to host a Formula 1 Grand Prix is the highest that it has ever been, so I would like to thank Prime Minister, Luís Montenegro, the Minister of Economy and Territorial Cohesion of Portugal, Manuel Castro Almeida, the Secretary of State for Tourism, Commerce and Services, Pedro Machado, President of Turismo de Portugal, Carlos Abade, President of the Algarve Tourist Board, Andre Gomes and CEO and Chairman of the Algarve International Circuit, Jaime Costa for their support in bringing F1 back to Portugal", said Stefano Domenicali, Formula 1 CEO.
formula 1 returns to Portugal in 2027 and 2028, in dates still to be determined. Are you excited that Formula 1 is returning to Portugal in 2027?