F1 may return to Estoril Autodrome if local council can buy it  

Cascais city council will once again attempt to acquire the Estoril Autodrome and ensure the return to Portugal of Formula 1 in 2028, the municipality revealed on Tuesday, following a meeting with the Government.

In a statement, the Cascais Council, in the district of Lisbon, said it intends to acquire the facility through a purchase from Parpública, which aggregates the State’s holdings in companies.

“In 2026, it will be 30 years since the last Grand Prix was held in Estoril. At that time, we will restart a new phase of this legendary world circuit, with the local authority taking over the management of the facility,” said the vice-president of Cascais Council, Nuno Piteira Lopes (PSD), quoted in the statement.

According to the local authority, the details of the acquisition were discussed at a meeting between Cascais Council and the secretary of state for Tourism, Trade and Services, Pedro Machado, on Monday.

This is not the first time that Cascais Council, currently chaired by Social Democrat Carlos Carreiras, has attempted to buy the Estoril Autodrome from the State.

In 2015, Cascais Council went ahead with the acquisition of the facility for around €5 million, but the deal was rejected by the Court of Auditors.

The Estoril Autodrome was inaugurated in June 1972 as a facility intended to be a landmark for tourism in Cascais.

In addition to acquiring the racetrack, the Cascais Council also intends to negotiate the return of Formula 1 to Estoril in 2028 and ensure that a MotoGP race is held in 2027, guaranteeing “total availability to make the necessary interventions, together with private partners”.

According to the Cascais Council, the meeting with the Government also addressed the management of the Estoril Hotel and Tourism School, which the local authority wants to take over “in partnership with the NOVA university, allowing for the modernisation and refurbishment of the school”.