Lewis Hamilton boasts a 100% win record at the Algarve International Circuit in Portimão, home of the Portuguese GP. The Briton won the 2020 Portuguese GP at the circuit, claiming his 92nd career win in F1.
With the win in Portimao, Lewis also broke Michael Schumacher’s long-standing record of most F1 wins by a driver. He has since extended his record to 103.
After a winless 2022 campaign, it’s been a while since Lewis added win number 104 to his list. And maybe he could do with the racetrack making a possible return to the calendar.
Portimao teases 2023 return with a Lewis Hamilton post
Lewis Hamilton turned 38 on Saturday 7th January. While the entire F1 community wished the 7-time World Champion, one post caught our attention with a rather cryptic message.
The Autódromo Internacional do Algarve, also known as Portimao, wished Hamilton a post. But the caption further read, “The only F1 race winner in our circuit, so far at our circuit,” followed by a wink.
And this goes along with the rumour that Portimao could make a possible return in place of the Chinese GP. China’s strict zero-covid policy has raised doubts on whether a race could be held.
The Grand Prix was set to take place on 14-16th April, between the Australian and Azerbaijan GP. F1 has been looking at other circuits as an alternative in case a race in China is not feasible.
Portimao returned to the F1 calendar after a long hiatus in 2020 and 2021 after races were called off following the Covid-19 Pandemic. Lewis Hamilton won both races and is ‘so far’ the only driver on the grid to have won a race here.
Chinese GP might return after the nation reopens
China recently eased its Quarantine protocols and its ‘Zero Covid’ policy. And if the conditions in the nation are favourable, F1 might go ahead with the race.
The Chinese GP has been absent from the F1 calendar for 3 seasons. F1 last raced at the Shanghai International Circuit in 2019. This means F1’s first Chinese racer, Zhou Guanyu is yet to complete a home race.
However, the Chinese GP organisers have made contact with F1 to resume racing. And with restrictions easing, there could be some improvement.
While the race was enlisted in 2023’s provisional calendar, F1 put the plan on hold following a steep rise in cases. F1 has not announced any new venue yet and the Chinese GP slot still remains vacant.
China recently extended its contract to hold races until 2025. And with homegrown talent racing, it will be a spectacle for the local crowd if talks are positive.
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