Max Verstappen has just made a ‘really not nice’ admission about the returning Portuguese Grand Prix

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Formula 1 will return to Portugal from the 2027 season with the Algarve International Circuit, more commonly known as Portimao.

Portugal has a proud history in F1, having held races at Porto and Estoril in the past. It last hosted a race in 2020 and 2021 at Portimao, after the COVID-19 pandemic affected the calendar and forced the sport to remain mostly in Europe.

Many fans will remember those races well, with Lewis Hamilton winning both of them with Mercedes. His first win in 2020 marked history, as he officially became the winningest driver in F1 with his 92nd victory – he has since extended that record to 105.

What one change would you make to the F1 calendar with the Portuguese Grand Prix returning?

F1 will return to Portimao in 2027 and 2028!

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F1 has been looking to get more tracks onto the calendar in the future, without, of course, extending it beyond the already congested 24-race schedule. As a result, the sport will rotate circuits on and off the calendar, hence why Portimao is returning in 2027 and 2028.

Given the track’s history, many fans are excited to see Portugal return to F1. However, Max Verstappen may have just insinuated that he is not looking forward to going back there.

Max Verstappen’s ‘really not nice’ comments about ground effect cars suggest he will not like Portimao return

Speaking on the Talking Bull podcast, Verstappen was asked what he would miss the least about the ground effect era, with the regulations changing in 2026.

He replied: “The stiffness of the cars. Like you had to run them very low and to the ground. And for our backs and everything, it was quite tough.

“Like cornering 5 and a half G on average, but in some tracks, because it was a bit bumpy or whatever, and then the cars being so low to the ground, you bottom out so aggressive.

Fill in the gap: Max Verstappen will finish his F1 career with _____ titles

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“For example, in Austin, I would hit like 9G vertical load. So that is really not nice for your spine and your neck. Everything was always like blocked, and we trained for it, and I know it’s part of racing, but that for me is a little bit too extreme.”

Austin is known to have a bumpy surface. Portimao is no different; in fact, it is even more extreme than COTA, with there being an elevation change at almost every corner.

If Verstappen was hitting 9G through corners in Austin in the ground effect era, one can only imagine what he would hit in Portugal. The new regulation changes may slightly mitigate the problem, but the bumpy surface may not be something the Red Bull star is looking forward to in 2027.

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Lewis Hamilton has a completely different verdict on the returning Portuguese Grand Prix

Verstappen did enjoy success in Portugal when it was on the calendar in 2020 and 2021. He finished third in the former and second in the latter edition, but he could not get close to Hamilton.

The Brit won both races with Mercedes on his way to his seventh F1 title in 2020, before narrowly missing out to Verstappen in 2021. Hamilton has since been trying to recover his form after suffering a regression in the ground effect era, and Portugal will be a welcome return for the 40-year-old.

Hamilton labelled Portimao as ‘incredible’ back in 2021 and has it among his favourite circuits. He will certainly be excited to return to the track, especially in Ferrari colours.

However, that opportunity may not be possible, as his contract does expire at the end of 2026. But recent reports have suggested that Hamilton can extend his Ferrari deal until 2028, which covers Portugal’s new two-year arrangement with F1.