In 2020 and 2021, the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve was one of Formula 1’s contingency solutions for calendars affected by the pandemic, allowing for a sporadic return of the Portuguese Grand Prix. However, with the normalization in 2022, the Portuguese round did not take place again.
With many countries wanting to host the premier category, some of them presenting million-dollar projects, securing a spot on the increasingly congested calendar is difficult. Especially without the financial arguments to rival some initiatives, especially in the Middle East, but not only.
Paulo Pinheiro, CEO of the Portimão circuit, was asked by the newspaper Record whether the dream of F1 is still possible. In response, the official admitted that the task is not easy:
– Dreaming is always what drives us […]. We have already hosted the championship twice and we will be prepared for it to happen again, but many factors external to the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve have to come together at the right moment for the return to become a reality. Financial support, not only from private entities but also from the State, is essential to sustain an F1 Grand Prix, and Portugal is far from being one of the wealthiest countries. Paulo Pinheiro emphasized that the Algarve circuit ‘is one of the most demanding challenges from a technical and human point of view.’ However, he pointed out: ‘Hosting a race does not depend solely on us, if it did… it would be tomorrow!’
Despite not being on the calendar, the Algarve Circuit sometimes hosts private tests for teams – with single-seaters from previous years, as the rules dictate. And, last December, three-time world champion Max Verstappen was at the circuit testing some GT cars.
