Formula 1 is set to return to Portugal in 2027! This was announced on Tuesday. The Southern European country has hosted several races in the past, both on street circuits and at the famous Estoril. From 2027, the premier class will once again visit the Portimão circuit in the Algarve. The track has signed a two-year agreement. During the coronavirus pandemic, the Portuguese GP was held here twice before Portimão disappeared from the calendar in 2022.
In August, Prime Minister Luís Montenegro expressed his desire to revive the Portuguese Grand Prix. “Major events contribute the most to promoting this region,” he stated during the Festa do Pontal. “We have already secured the MotoGP, the flagship of motorsport, for 2025 and 2026. And I can assure you that everything is ready to formalize the return of Formula 1 to the Algarve in 2027.”
According to the Portuguese newspaper A Bola, the government is willing to invest around 27 million euros to facilitate a race in the Algarve. The return of the Portuguese GP fits within the changing Formula 1 calendar. For instance, the Dutch GP at Zandvoort will disappear after the last edition in 2026, while several Grands Prix are being considered for a rotation system, including Barcelona and Spa-Francorchamps.
GP Portugal
The Algarve International Circuit, better known as Portimão, is a 4.653 kilometer long circuit located in the south of Portugal. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, two Grands Prix were organized here in 2020 and 2021. Both editions were won by Lewis Hamilton. At the time, the track was praised for its challenging layout and significant elevation changes. Max Verstappen also expressed his enthusiasm. “It’s a great track,” he anticipated the GP of Portugal in 2020. “Especially in the rain, it’s a very fun circuit to drive on. The elevation varies enormously and the layout is just really cool. It’s a reasonably technical, but also fast circuit.”
The GP of Portugal has a rich history. In the early years of Formula 1, races were already held in Porto and Monsanto, but from 1984, the Estoril circuit secured a permanent spot on the calendar. Legendary drivers such as Alain Prost and Nigel Mansell managed to win there multiple times. The last race on Estoril was held in 1996.
