Portimão’s rollercoaster returns: Portuguese GP secured for 2027 and 2028

On a clear Algarve afternoon, the Portimão asphalt can shimmer like a mirage – a grey ribbon diving and rising against the blue Atlantic sky. From 2027, the howl of F1 hybrids will again echo off those hills, after Formula 1 confirmed a two-year deal for the Portuguese Grand Prix to return in 2027 and 2028.

The agreement, announced today by F1 and the Portuguese government, puts the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve back on the world championship map for the first time since its Covid-era cameo in 2020 and 2021. The 4.6km, 15-corner circuit – famous for its blind crests and that stomach-dropping plunge into the final right-hander – will effectively take the calendar slot vacated by the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort after 2026, according to outlets including Reuters and ESPN.

Officially, it’s a two-year pact between Formula 1, the Portuguese government, Turismo de Portugal and local promoter Parkalgar. Unofficially, it’s a statement that the sport still values circuits that test drivers as much as they dazzle sponsors. Portimão’s undulations generate the kind of high-speed, high-g commitment that makes even modern cars look on the edge, a welcome antidote to the flat geometry of some newer layouts.

For Portugal, this is a long-awaited sequel. When the lights went out at Portimão in 2020 and 2021, the races were born of necessity – stand-in events on a calendar ravaged by travel restrictions. Yet they carved their own place in history: Lewis Hamilton won both for Mercedes and, in the first of those victories, took his record-breaking 92nd grand prix win, eclipsing Michael Schumacher’s benchmark. What was meant as a stopgap wrote another chapter in the sport’s folklore.

F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali made clear why the championship has come back to this corner of Europe.

"I’m delighted to see Portimão return to the Formula 1 calendar and for the sport to continue to ignite the passion of our incredible Portuguese fanbase. The circuit delivers on-track excitement from the first corner to the chequered flag, and its energy lifts fans out of their seats."

— Stefano Domenicali, speaking to Formula 1 and corporate F1 channels

Behind the poetry there is hard economics. Portugal’s Minister of Economy and Territorial Cohesion, Manuel Castro Almeida, pointed to studies from the 2020 and 2021 races suggesting impacts of around €100m per Grand Prix once tourism, services and media exposure are included, as reported by local outlet Portugal Resident. With global F1 audiences having grown since those pandemic years, national and regional tourism bodies now expect the return to “significantly exceed” those figures.

"Portugal is back on the Formula 1 map. The F1 Grande Prémio de Portugal will have a direct impact on economic activity, generating opportunities throughout the economic chain – from tourism to trade, and services to SMEs – projecting the country as a competitive and reliable destination."

— Manuel Castro Almeida, via Formula 1 and Portugal Resident

Track boss Jaime Costa emphasised the driving challenge, calling Portimão’s layout a “rollercoaster” that will “challenge the best drivers in the world and create a spectacle that fans will love”. You don’t need to look far back for proof: onboard footage from the 2020 and 2021 weekends shows cars cresting Turn 8 almost weightless before plunging downhill, drivers fighting for traction as they chase the pit straight and open DRS.

Calendar-wise, the deal is as revealing as it is exciting. The Race and other outlets report that Portimão’s contract runs only to 2028 and is not tied to Spa’s new rotational arrangement, under which Belgium skips 2028 and 2030. Zandvoort’s exit after 2026, Barcelona’s contract expiry in the same year, and ongoing talks with potential new hosts such as Thailand underline how ruthlessly competitive the battle for a spot on F1’s 24-race schedule has become.

Yet amid that jostling, Portugal has played the long game. Prime minister Luís Montenegro’s government has quietly pushed for a return, leveraging the circuit’s proven ability to run grands prix safely and slickly in 2020-21. Today’s announcement is their reward – and a reminder that in a calendar dominated by long-term mega-deals, a short but spicy two-year stint can still be a masterclass in seizing the moment.

There are no confirmed dates yet for the 2027 and 2028 Portuguese Grands Prix, and ticket details will follow in due course. But somewhere above Portimão, the heat haze is already rising in the imagination: cars cresting the hill in qualifying trim, the sound of engines ricocheting off grandstands packed with red, green and gold, and another unlikely Covid stand-in finally getting the full-house encore it always deserved.