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F1 first announced their intentions to return to Portimao in February, and this morning [Friday] it was finally confirmed. The 2020 Portuguese Grand Prix was a fan favourite throughout the course of the season, so many will be hoping the racing lives up to expectations in 2021.
The Portuguese Grand Prix was one of the few races to have fans in 2020, with 27,000 in attendance to see Lewis Hamilton win his record 92nd Grand Prix of his career. F1 are working closely with Portuguese authorities to allow fans to once again be in attendance in 2021.
As mentioned, the 2020 race was won by Hamilton, with Bottas and Verstappen making up the final podium places, but the HAM-BOT-VER result does not reflect the exciting race, which even saw Carlos Sainz take the lead at one stage.
“We are thrilled to announce that Formula 1 will be racing again in Portimao after the huge success of the race last year,” said Stefano Domenicali, President and CEO of Formula 1. “We want to thank the promoter and the Portuguese Government for their hard work and dedication in getting us to this point. We are confident and excited about our 2021 season, having shown last year that we could deliver 17 races safely and bring our millions of fans thrilling racing at a difficult time. We hope to welcome fans to Portimao again this season in a safe way and are working with the promoter on the details of that plan.”
Rita Marques, Portugal’s Secretary of State of Tourism, added: “Holding major events in our country is very important for the image and international promotion of Portugal as a tourist destination, and so it is with great interest that we see the return of Formula 1 to the Algarve in 2021. I want to thank the FIA and F1 for its confidence in Portugal, the Algarve and the Algarve International Racetrack by choosing our country to host a stage of the F1 calendar, and to express our full commitment to make it a big success.”
Excited to see Portimao back on the calendar? Let us know on Formulanerds social media!
Image/info: f1.com