The Portuguese Automobile and Karting Federation (FPAK) admitted on Friday that negotiations are underway between the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve (AIA) and Formula 1 for the Algarve to host a Grand Prix in 2023.
Speaking to Lusa, FPAK president Ni Amorim revealed that “Portugal is leading the way” to replace China on the 2023 calendar after the cancellation of that Asian GP was announced this Friday.
“However, Portugal is not the only interested country, Turkey is also participating,” Ni Amorim revealed.
The 2023 calendar was announced with 24 races, the longest ever, but the restrictions China has adopted regarding covid-19 make it impossible for the fourth consecutive year to hold that grand prix, which was scheduled for April 16.
Ni Amorim admits to having already spoken with the government on this issue, but still has no answer on state aid.
“It will depend on whether there is money for Portugal to host the GP. The fees are expensive, but the return justifies the investment,” said the president of the FPAK.
The amounts charged by the championship promoters vary from country to country, but according to Ni Amorim, the entry fee for the championship during the pandemic was around €30 million.
“At the moment I don’t know what the requested values are, but this stage of the negotiations has not yet been reached,” he stressed.
Clarify that the decision will depend on the Government’s availability to “embrace this project”, he guarantees that “the Federation will do its part to help the AIA make this project viable”, as “it would be very beneficial for the country and for motorsport”.
Source: DN
