Five shocking F1 moments at the Portuguese Grand Prix

F1 announced on Tuesday that it would return to Portugal in 2027 for a grand prix around the Portimao circuit.

The Algarve venue hosted a duo of races in 2020 and 2021 as it stood in on the Covid-19-impacted schedule.

Portugal has a long history with F1, but it was primarily a race held around the Estoril track, which had a presence on the schedule every year from 1984 to 1986.

As the European country celebrates its return to the calendar, RacingNews365 looks at some major F1 moments that have occurred in Portugal.

Stirling Moss' championship-defining sportsmanship (1958)

In an unprecedented display of sporting integrity, race winner Stirling Moss testified to stewards that title rival Mike Hawthorn hadn't violated regulations when he spun and briefly drove against traffic on the final lap. 

Moss' intervention prevented Hawthorn's disqualification from second place, preserving the seven points that ultimately gave Hawthorn the world championship by just one point over Moss himself.

The race in 1958 was the first Portuguese Grand Prix to form part of the world championship schedule.

Jack Brabham's death-defying telegraph pole crash (1959)

Just one year later, the race shifted to Monsanto Park. There, Jack Brabham suffered one of F1's most terrifying accidents when a backmarker caused him to crash over straw bales. 

He was launched towards a ravine filled with trees but struck a telegraph pole that saved his life, bouncing him safely onto the road while his destroyed car fell below. 

His survival without seatbelts was nothing short of miraculous.

Alain Prost's crushing title defeat despite victory (1984)

Alain Prost won the final race at Estoril but lost the championship by 0.5 points to McLaren teammate Niki Lauda. 

The devastating irony came from the half-points rule, which awarded Prost just 4.5 points for victory while Lauda's second place earned six points. 

Nigel Mansell's brake failure with eighteen laps remaining elevated Lauda to the crucial runner-up position, securing his third world title.

Nigel Mansell's illegal reverse and black flag chaos (1989)

Mansell dramatically overshot his Ferrari pit box and then engaged reverse gear to back into position, violating multiple regulations. 

When shown the black flag for disqualification, he ignored it and attempted to overtake race leader Ayrton Senna into Turn 1, causing a collision that eliminated both drivers. 

Mansell received a $50,000 fine and a one-race ban, effectively destroying Senna's championship hopes.

Riccardo Patrese's spectacular airborne flight (1992)

Attempting to overtake Gerhard Berger exiting the final corner, Riccardo Patrese failed to realise the McLaren driver was entering the pits. 

His Williams was launched skyward off Berger's left-rear wheel, creating one of the most spectacular airborne crashes ever witnessed in F1.