Published by Nicky Haldenby on 01 May, 2026

Formula 1 will return to Portugal in 2027, staging its first Grand Prix in the country since 2021. It will be the third time that the popular Algarve International Circuit in Portimão will play host to the Formula 1 Portuguese Grand Prix.

Portimão is the fourth different location which has staged the Portuguese Grand Prix, with official F1 World Championship events being held in Boavista and Monsanto between 1958 and 1960 before the race was revitalised after a 23-year gap in Estoril in 1984.

From there, the Portuguese Grand Prix established itself as a fixture on the calendar through to 1996 when the Autódromo do Estoril played host one final time. A revival of the race was rumoured in 2009 with the current Portimão facility suggested as a venue, but a deal could not be reached leaving Portuguese fans starved of F1 action. The event made a brief comeback amid the coronavirus pandemic in 2020 and 2021 and is now set to make a full-time return as part of a two-year contract beginning in 2027.

Formula 1 Arrives in Portugal (1958-1960)

The first official World Championship Formula 1 race to be held in Portugal took place at a street circuit named Circuito da Boavista in 1958. A year later, the race moved temporarily to the Circuito de Monsanto near Lisbon - also a street track - before returning to Boavista for one final race in 1960.

Both circuits attracted criticism for their ‘hazardous’ layout and uneven surfaces, and both circuits were lined with trees with limited run-off areas. The Boavista circuit, located on the harbour-front of Porto, was particularly dangerous as it made its way through the town on cobbled roads and even tramlines.

A controversial incident in the 1959 race at Monsanto ensured that particular circuit’s F1 residency was short-lived. Australian Jack Brabham was thrown from his car and landed on the track after clipping a telegraph pole. Both the Monsanto and Boavista circuits fell off the calendar permanently following the 1960 race, with the Portuguese Grand Prix not returning for another two decades.

Formula 1 Heads to Estoril (1984-1996)

Built in 1972, Estoril was predominantly used for national racing during its early years, but a significant redevelopment in the early 1980s led to it earning a spot on the calendar for the 1984 F1 season.

Over the course of the next decade, the Portuguese Grand Prix grew in popularity and provided some memorable moments in F1 history. At the circuit’s inaugural Grand Prix in 1984, Niki Lauda pipped McLaren teammate Alain Prost to win the F1 World Championship by just half a point – the narrowest ever margin of victory by an F1 champion.

In 1985, a young Ayrton Senna demonstrated his growing potential in wet conditions to became a Grand Prix winner for the first time. Just a year later, the Brazilian was forced to retire from the race following a collision with Nigel Mansell. It was a particularly controversial moment, as the incident happened after Mansell had already been shown the black flag for reversing in the pit lane.

In the circuit’s final Formula 1 race, the penultimate round of the 1996 World Championship, Williams driver Jacques Villeneuve produced one of the moments of the season when he overtook the Ferrari of Michael Schumacher around the outside of the final turn on course to a fourth win in his impressive debut season.

F1 Returns for the First Time Since 1996

After the Estoril race was dropped for the 1997 season, Portuguese fans endured a 24-year-long wait for the return of their home grand prix. Due to the calendar disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, Portimão was handed an unlikely chance to stage a race in the 2020 season, sparking huge interest in ticket sales once it was confirmed fans would be permitted to attend. Originally it was expected that up to 45,000 fans would be able to attend. However, that number was later lowered to 27,000 following a surge of coronavirus cases in the country prior to the race weekend.

The addition of Portimão to the calendar proved a popular move with many of the drivers. Of the 2020 grid, Nico Hülkenberg and Sergio Pérez had both raced in the 2009 GP2 race in Portimão, while several others including Daniel Ricciardo, Charles Leclerc and Valtteri Bottas raced here in other categories. The 2020 race is remembered as being the scene of Lewis Hamilton's record-breaking 92nd Grand Prix victory, as well as Kimi Räikkönen's first lap surge through the field in damp conditions, driving from 16th to 6th over the course of a single lap.

The Portuguese Grand Prix returned for a second year in succession in 2021 but was held behind closed doors, with no fans in the grandstands. As this was the last season in which there were widespread travel restrictions due to the pandemic, it was the last time that Portugal was required to fill a vacated gap on the calendar.

A New Two-Year Contract is Signed

In December 2025, Formula 1 made a somewhat unexpected announcement that the Portuguese Grand Prix will return to the schedule from 2027 onwards. It returns as part of an initial two -year deal, filling one of the spaces on the calendar freed up by the discontinuation of the Dutch Grand Prix and the commencement of Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya's rotational contract.

With a capacity close to 100,000, the Algarve International Circuit is an impressive modern facility that also features a karting track, hotel, and sports complex. Taking design cues from other classic circuits such as Spa and the Nürburgring, the Portimão track is often referred to as ‘the rollercoaster’ by drivers due to its fast, flowing corners and significant elevation changes.

Be Trackside For Portugal's F1 Return

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