It is closed. Formula 1 will even return to Portugal in October, 24 years after the last Grand Prix in our country.
According to the newspaper A Bola, Liberty, the company that owns the rights to the Formula 1 World Cup, will announce tomorrow more details about the 2020 World Cup calendar, including the long-awaited return of F1 to Portugal. We remind you that the rumors of the return of Formula 1 to Portugal are not new.
About a month ago, Paulo Pinheiro, the administrator of the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve, the circuit that will host the Grand Prix of Portugal, had already stated that “all the sporting and sanitary conditions are in place for a Formula 1 race in Portimão ”.
The biggest national event since Euro2004
For the administrator of the most modern national circuit, the return of Formula 1 to Portugal is good news for our economy.
Interviewed by Jornal Económico, Paulo Pinheiro said that "preliminary studies" by the AIA show that "only the structure of Formula 1, the teams and the entire organization supporting the races, will bring a direct economic impact of between 25 and 30 million euros."
Did you know that...
The last GP in Portugal took place on September 22, 1996, at the Autodromo do Estoril. The winner was Jacques Villeneuve (Williams-Renault).
To this amount, we must add the ticket revenue. The objective, he recalled at the time, taking into account the rules of social distancing, is for the public to occupy "30% to 60% of the capacity of the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve", which will mean an estimated ticket revenue between 17 and 35 million euros.
According to Paulo Pinheiro, the Grand Prix of Portugal 2020 will be "the biggest event that Portugal has had since Euro2004".
Formula 1 2020 Calendar
The F1 World Championship kicked off on July 5th, at the Red Bull Ring circuit, Austria, and for now the first GP's of the season will not have a public in the stands. Tomorrow the rest of the 2020 season schedule will be announced.
Also according to the newspaper A Bola, Portugal will host the 11th race of the 2020 season. The last race should take place in December, at the Yas Marina circuit in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.