Portugal and Turkey in 2027: the big returns in F1

Welcome back / Tekrar hoş geldin (Bentornati)

As Formula 1 prepares to return to the track on the Baku street circuit, the big news came from the official 2027 calendar; the number of Sprints has increased to ten, with one of these scheduled in Monaco (which raised some eyebrows), while the races in the Middle East remain, in a region where the end of the war conflict still seems far away. But the most passionate fans could not have missed two great news, which in not too distant years have given spectacular races, among personal records and moments still remembered today: we are talking about the Portuguese GP and the Turkish GP, which boast different histories, with more or less long presences, but impossible to forget.

Portugal: three long stops until Portimão

In 18 editions held, Portugal has hosted F1 on four different circuits. The first world championship race took place in 1958 on the Boavista street circuit, and saw Stirling Moss win. The Englishman repeated himself the following year, in the first and only race held at Monsanto (Lisbon), but the second and last appointment at Boavista smiled on Jack Brabham, who was crowned world champion for the second time in his career. Following the celebration for the Australian driver, Portugal disappeared from F1, returning only in 1984. That year, the Circus debuted on the new permanent track of Estoril, also the venue of the last GP of the season. While Alain Prost won the race, Niki Lauda only needed 2nd place to win his third and last world title, but not only that: the Austrian finished with a margin of only 0.5 points in the standings over the ‘Professor’, in what is still recognized today as the smallest gap between the world champion and the runner-up. The points of that championship were in fact halved following the suspension of the Monaco GP, which was stopped before 75% of the race was completed due to heavy rain. It was precisely in that Monaco weekend that Ayrton Senna achieved his first career podium, while the following year, in Portugal, the Brazilian took his first pole and his first victory, curiously always under pouring rain. The circuit hosted a total of 13 editions, but on more than one occasion it was criticized for its safety, to the point that modifications were made. A particularly famous episode, although not related to the dangers of the track, was the accident involving Riccardo Patrese in 1992; the only Italian winner of the Portuguese GP (1991), the driver from Padua hit Berger’s McLaren at full speed on the starting straight, with the Austrian suddenly braking at the entrance to the pit lane without warning his pursuer. The Williams actually took off, with the driver fortunately not suffering any consequences. Along with Nigel Mansell, Alain Prost holds the record for the most wins in Portugal (3), the last of which was in 1993, when 2nd place was enough to be crowned world champion. In 1995, moreover, David Coulthard won his first F1 race, while the following year F1 said goodbye to Estoril with a brave and spectacular outside overtake of Jacques Villeneuve on Michael Schumacher at the last corner. After another long absence, the Portuguese GP returned for the third time in 2020, the year the world was shaken by the COVID-19 pandemic. Formula 1 decided to include the Portimão track in the calendar, thus making its debut on this circuit known for its spectacular elevation changes, with slopes that can reach 12% downhill and 6% uphill. A ‘roller coaster’ that has so far known only one King: Lewis Hamilton. In the 2020 and 2021 editions, the British driver always won, with the first victory allowing him to enter history for the new absolute record of wins in F1, surpassing Michael Schumacher with 92 victories.

Turkey: the GP of tensions

Unlike Portugal, Turkey has a completely different history: besides the smaller number of total editions, all of these have taken place (and will take place) on the same circuit. Designed by designer Hermann Tilke, Istanbul Park became the venue of the first Turkish GP in 2005, the year Kimi Raikkonen first stood on the top step of the podium. The following season, Felipe Massa took home the first of his three consecutive wins, which was above all his first victory in F1. To this day, the Brazilian remains the record holder for wins in Turkey, a country where Red Bull has few positive memories. Excluding Vettel’s win in 2011, the previous year the team had to face internal tensions that exploded precisely between the German and Mark Webber following a contact between the two after the future four-time world champion’s overtaking attempt on the Australian. Emblematic were Vettel’s reactions, with a team radio almost entirely censored and with a gesture caught by cameras in which the German called Webber crazy. The circuit, which returned occasionally to the calendar in 2020 and 2021 following the COVID-19 pandemic, saw the surprising pole position of Lance Stroll in 2020, but above all the seventh and last world title of Lewis Hamilton, won also that year.

Translated from