[Official] Portuguese Grand Prix 2021: Grand Prix Weekend Thread - Round 3 of 23

[Born Racer]

After 2020 laid out an absorbing calendar of events, with some thrilling moments and spectacular circuits, 2021 builds on a run of form with Formula 1's newly-epic 23-race campaign. A season-long duel is tantalisingly in prospect between Mercedes and Red Bull, and between the most successful driver of all time, Lewis Hamilton, and the long-coming pretender to the title throne Max Verstappen, in addition to the presence again of a number of classic, old-style events as well as those in the new markets.

Not every Grand Prix will be a modern classic, but there is little doubt that the traditional countries of the sport hosting events (as well as those more modern, but comparatively classic circuits, such as the newly-announced return of Istanbul) will produce some fine chapters of the season.

The history

The Portuguese Grand Prix's history extends back to the early 1950s, making it to World Championship status in '58, although it was only in the 80s that it became an established event, disappearing after 1996, despite being mooted for a return several times.

The inaugural edition was run at the Boavista street circuit in Porto in 1951 and was won by Portuguese driver Casimiro de Oliveira in a Ferrari. Ferraris took wins in the subsequent three years too (Eugenio Castellotti, José Arroyo Nogueira Pinto, José Froilán Gonzalez), including during a switch to Monsanto Park in the capital of Lisbon in 1954. Boavista returned in 1955, which saw Jean Behra take the first of two Maserati victories in the Portuguese Grand Prix, the next coming after a year's hiatus for the Grand Prix, in 1957 (at Monsanto again), with Juan Manuel Fangio at the wheel.

As the race joined the Formula 1 World Championship in 1958 at Boavista, it alternated each year between those two circuits. In the first of these events, Stirling Moss won in wet conditions in his Vanwall from Mike Hawthorn in the Ferrari, but Hawthorn was initially disqualified for driving slightly in the wrong direction when he restarted his car. Moss protested the decision, as he stated Hawthorn had been off the track when it was reported, leading to the decision being reversed. This good sportsmanship ultimately ensured Hawthorn kept his world championship win and Moss lost out.

Moss won in his Rob Walker Racing-run Cooper-Climax at Monsanto a year later, while Jack Brabham was thrown from his car and uninjured in an accident on Lap 23 of 62. American drivers completed the podium, with Masten Gregory 2nd for the factory team, also in a Cooper T51 and Dan Gurney 3rd for Ferrari. Jack Brabham and Bruce McLaren were 1st and 2nd in Coopers at Boavista in 1960, while Jim Clark had his first Formula 1 podium, in the Lotus.

The Portuguese Grand Prix was next run as a sportscar race in the Lisbon district of Cascais, from 1964 to 1966, before Formula 1 returned in 1984 at the permanent circuit of Estoril, also in Cascais. It was the final round of the championship, and Nigel Mansell spun in his Lotus while in 2nd, meaning that Niki Lauda finished runner-up behind McLaren team-mate Alain Prost, giving him a half-point margin over Prost to take his final world title. Ayrton Senna was 3rd for Toleman.

In 1985, and held in April, the teams were met with chilly and wet conditions. First-time Senna lapped everyone in his Lotus, apart from eventual 2nd-place finisher Michele Alboreto in the Ferrari, after 67 laps of the 70 originally scheduled were run, as the two-hour time limit was hit.

The race moved again, to Round 14, in 1986. Mansell won in the Williams, from Prost in the McLaren and team-mate Nelson Piquet. Senna had run out of fuel from 2nd on the final lap, dropping to 4th. An opening-lap collision wiped out eight cars in '87, with Prost going on to win again in the McLaren, from Gerhard Berger in the Ferrari and Piquet in the Williams. In 1988, Prost took victory from Ivan Capelli in the March, who had impressively passed Senna, undergoing an incorrect and overly-zealous fuel consumption readout, while Thierry Boutsen was 3rd for Benetton. Things started to get heated between the McLaren pair after Senna forced Prost towards the pit wall when the Frenchman was overtaking.

Gerhard Berger won in 1989 with Ferrari, while his team-mate Mansell was shown the black flag for having reversed in the pit lane. He continued nonetheless, and collided with Ayrton Senna, taking them both out. Prost was 2nd for McLaren and Stefan Johansson a surprise 3rd for Onyx, delivering the team's only podium.

Mansell survived a collision with Philippe Alliot in 1990, which eliminated the Ligier driver, to win in the Ferrari from Senna in the McLaren and Prost in the other Ferrari. Only 61 of the 71 scheduled laps were run after the race was red-flagged due to an accident between Alex Caffi and Aguri Suzuki.

Riccardo Patrese took the spoils in 1991 for Williams, from 2nd-placed Senna in the McLaren and Jean Alesi in the Ferrari. For the second time in Portuguese Grand Prix history, Mansell was black-flagged, this time after his pit crew fitted a wheel outside his pit box after his right-rear was not put on correctly after he had pitted from the lead. This time, Mansell, took his black flag.

As was customary in 1992, Mansell won, and Berger and Senna were 2nd and 3rd for McLaren. Meanwhile, Mansell's team-mate Patrese clipped Berger's left rear tyre and was sent into a scary accident on the start-finish straight.

A year later, Alain Prost announced his retirement before the weekend and claimed 2nd place in the race to take the world championship with Williams. Michael Schumacher, meanwhile, took his second win in F1, in his Benetton. Hill completed the podium in the other Williams.

Hill rolled his car over in qualifying in 1994, but won the race, with Schumacher still banned. David Coulthard made it a Williams 1-2 and Mika Häkkinen was 3rd for McLaren. Coulthard took his maiden win in F1 in 1995 with Williams, while Schumacher was 2nd in the Benetton and Hill 3rd in the other Williams. Ukyo Katayama had a heavy collision with Luca Badoer at the start.

In 1996, Jacques Villeneuve won from Williams team-mate Hill and Ferrari's Michael Schumacher after what was regarded as an impressive move on Schumacher on the outside of the Parabolica, while lapping Giovanni Lavaggi.

Portugal was due to host the final race of 1997, but was replaced by the infamous European Grand Prix at Jerez when it was cancelled due to renovation work on facilities not being carried out. It was also listed on the 1998 calendar, but was again dropped.

The Grand Prix finally returned to the series with the Algarve International Circuit in Portimão in 2020. Sergio Pérez in the Racing Point collided with Max Verstappen on the opening lap, while polesitter Hamilton dropped back behind Bottas. Some rain soon started and Carlos Sainz took the lead in the McLaren, and Kimi Räikkönen also had an impressive start to the race, making up many positions and running well inside the top ten. Most the race was dry. Hamilton eventually came back to take a historic 92nd Grand Prix win, beating Michael Schumacher's record, one many thought would never fall.

The trivia

Prost, Mansell and Moss are the only drivers so far to take more than one world championship win in Portugal.

The only world championship Portuguese Grand Prix to have been won from a driver starting outside the top three was 1993, with Michael Schumacher taking victory from 6th on the grid.

The safety car has never been deployed. Conversely, there have been five red flags in world championship Portuguese Grands Prix (including two in 1988).

The track



Other information

Circuit length: 4.653km
Number of laps: 66
Race distance: 306.826km
Race Lap Record: 1:18.750 (Lewis Hamilton - Mercedes - 2020)
Dry weather tyre compounds: C1, C2 & C3
First Portuguese Grand Prix: 1951
First world championship Portuguese Grand Prix: 1958
First Grand Prix at this circuit: 2020

Join in the fun with the F1 Predictions Contest and Fantasy F1:

https://tentenths.com/forum/showthread.php?t=156086

https://tentenths.com/forum/showthread.php?t=156053

[Greem]

Great intro as always, BR, thanks

I didn't know that nugget about the safety car. You've probably jinxed it now!

[steve_r]

Looking forward to this one.

No rain on the weather forecast unfortunately.

[Tourer]

Thank you for the intro BR - very nice work.

I'm looking forward to this one, particularly now that the new surface laid last year so close to the race will have settled down nicely. Lovely circuit but there was too much of a lottery feel last year with that new surface.

[ScotsBrutesFan]

For anyone looking to follow the Grand prix on Sky's social media channels this weekend

Sky Sports is supporting the boycott of social media by football and the wider sporting community this weekend.

Sky Sports will not post any sports content to its channels on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Snapchat and Tik Tok for the duration of the boycott period from 3pm on Friday April 30 until 11.59pm on Monday May 3.

Sky Sports stands with our football, cricket and other sport partners to urge social media companies to do more to eradicate online hate and ensure social media can be a place for sports fans to discuss, debate and consume the best sporting action without discrimination and abuse.

Sky's partnership with Kick It Out is based on fighting discrimination and championing inclusion, and our action this weekend demonstrates our clear and enduring commitment to the cause.

Sky Sports TV channels, website (skysports.com) and two apps (Sky Sports app and Sky Sports Scores app) will remain the go-to destinations for sports fans to keep up to date with all the action, scores and sporting news throughout this exciting weekend of sport.

So things like Ted's notebook programmes won't be available on YouTube

[broadrun96]

Take all advertising down and we won't pretend this is purely a drive to bring the revenue from ads internally and jump on a cause to hide it. Not that I don't trust major media outlets, but oh wait, no, no I don't since they spew the same hatred with bigger fancier words and personal attacks on players, coaches and managers.

[Tourer]

Originally Posted by ScotsBrutesFan

For anyone looking to follow the Grand prix on Sky's social media channels this weekend



So things like Ted's notebook programmes won't be available on YouTube

First I'd heard of this boycott - must be UK thing - certainly not happening here in Oz.

[ScotsBrutesFan]

Originally Posted by Tourer

First I'd heard of this boycott - must be UK thing - certainly not happening here in Oz.

It's become a big deal in the UK of late. Hopefully this isn't geolocked ....

https://www.skysports.com/football/n...discrimination

[wnut]

Thank you BR.

Always wondered what this circuit would be like run backwards, turn 15 would be very interesting.

[Tourer]

Originally Posted by ScotsBrutesFan

It's become a big deal in the UK of late. Hopefully this isn't geolocked ....

https://www.skysports.com/football/n...discrimination

Thanks for that - good that they're all banding together to hopefully lead to some change. Social media, being the cesspit that it is, probably won't ever be completely clear of abuse but reigning it in at least part way would be a worthwhile outcome.

[S griffin]

Let's hope for another great weekend of racing. Enjoyed last year's racing here and it's good to be back in Portugal, even if Estoril was better to be fair

[steve_r]

Originally Posted by ScotsBrutesFan

It's become a big deal in the UK of late. Hopefully this isn't geolocked ....

https://www.skysports.com/football/n...discrimination

I can see why they are doing this boycott. I hope that the idiots and trolls who get a kick out of sending abuse will consider their actions - but I have low expectations.

I also hope that EVERYONE will maybe take a few seconds to also consider their online words before they hit submit. Different opinions about a sporting event are usually OK.

[Peter Mallett]

Originally Posted by S griffin

Let's hope for another great weekend of racing. Enjoyed last year's racing here and it's good to be back in Portugal, even if Estoril was better to be fair

I prefer the Algarve. Very technical and difficult to get right.

[S griffin]

Yeah I like Algarve too, plenty of good corners and plenty of gradient to add an extra challenge. Just preferred the old Estoril, although it’s quite a bit different to when F1 last raced there, so I don’t mind. Just great to be back in Portugal for the second year running

[crmalcolm]

I see Vettee was checking out the changes to the pit box McLaren have made, after he used it with Ferrari last season!

[S griffin]

Merc back on top, but both Red Bulls up there. Looking like another great duel

[E.B]

Alpine were impressive in P2.... 2 cars in the top 6 is a feat that, other than Alpine only Mercedes could manage.

And they did it on medium tyres from what I can tell.

Now they need to do it on qualy and raceday....

[bjohnsonsmith]

Excellent intro as ever.


With qualifying started, can Hamilton take his 100th pole?

[bjohnsonsmith]

Bottas takes Pole.

[Taxi645]

Originally Posted by bjohnsonsmith

Bottas takes Pole.

Well done. I wonder how much longer Bottas is allowed to try to become WC now the fight with Verstappen has became much closer for Hamilton.

[S griffin]

Perfect response by Bottas after Imola. Outpacing them all to take pole. Such a shame track limits cost Max pole

Vettel finally makes it into Q1, although what happened between him and Stroll in Q1? Also, Russell so near to Q1. That Merc seat can’t come soon enough

[chillibowl]

Originally Posted by Taxi645

Well done. I wonder how much longer Bottas is allowed to try to become WC now the fight with Verstappen has became much closer for Hamilton.

As long as he can make the case for himself i would think.

Without assigning any blame, last race was a set back to his cause both in terms of points and repair costs which could end up coming out of his side of the garage but pole and what he can do with it leave him with everything still left to play for.

While i dont belive VB is the better driver i do believe Merc want and need LH to win this year. Bottas' mistakes/errors/whatevers are magnified.

And lewis hasent even started messing with him yet.

The underdog aspect for Bottas has me rooting for him a bit i must admit.

[ascarracinguk]

Originally Posted by Taxi645

Well done. I wonder how much longer Bottas is allowed to try to become WC now the fight with Verstappen has became much closer for Hamilton.

For as long as he is competitive.

So far this year it’s not been a problem though....first he has to get infront of hamilton.

Same can be said for Perez and Max.....

I suspect team orders WILL come into it at some point this year but both teams are as likely to use them to benefit their lead driver

[Aysedasi]

Bottas needs to win this race, quite badly in my opinion. If he fluffs the start and then falls down the order, the demons are going to be visiting him.....

[bjohnsonsmith]

A clean start, with Bottas leading.