Autódromo do Estoril

Built in 1972 in the hills above the resort town of Estoril, just west of Lisbon on Portugal's Atlantic coast, the Autódromo do Estoril gave Formula 1 a permanent home in the country after the early Porto and Monsanto street races of the late 1950s. It hosted the Portuguese Grand Prix from 1984 through 1996, thirteen consecutive runnings that coincided almost perfectly with one of the sport's golden eras.

The circuit's debut weekend in 1984 instantly became part of championship folklore. Alain Prost won the race for McLaren, but his teammate Niki Lauda finished second to clinch the title by half a point — the closest margin in F1 history. A year later, in driving rain, a young Ayrton Senna delivered a masterclass to score the very first Grand Prix victory of his career for Lotus, lapping all but one runner.

Estoril fell off the calendar after 1996 as Portugal's race lost its slot, and tightening safety standards left the venue without the run-off the modern era demanded. It remained an important testing venue into the 2000s before that work too migrated elsewhere, but its place in the Senna and Prost story keeps it fondly remembered.