Portuguese Grand Prix

Today marks the 2nd anniversary of Portugal’s return to the Formula 1 circuit under the decidedly non-Lusophone name of “Heineken Grande Prémio de Portugal.” Portugal has only been part of the official Formula 1 season in 1958-1960, 1984-1996, and then last year and this year. Each incarnation has raced at a different venue, starting on a street course in Porto in the north, having its longest stretch in Estoril near the capital in central Portugal, and now at the International Autodrome of the Algarve in Portimão in the far south.

In its Porto and Estoril incarnations, the Portuguese F1 race was simply the “Grande Prémio de Portugal” (the “Grand Prix of Portugal”) except for one year when it was the “Grande Prémio SG Gigante de Portugal,” named for a cigarette brand. In addition to being a brand name, “gigante” does also mean “giant.” The “SG” comes from “Sociedade Geral” (“General Corporation”) which was the short name for the company that made the cigarettes. SG’s full name was “Sociedade Geral de Indústria, Comércio e Transportes” or “General Corporation for Industry, Commerce, and Transport.” The company’s slogan, built on the initials, was “Sabor Gerações” or “Generations of Taste.” Times were different.

Incidentally, unlike Brazil, which is home to several big names in Formula 1 racing - and arguably one of the greatest of all time, Portugal has only had five little-known drivers on the F1 circuit (2 in the 50s and 60s, 2 in the 90s, and one in the early 2000s). Cumulatively they raced in 88 Grands Prix, with a season best finish of 16th in 2005 (out of 20 drivers), and a cumulative total over all 5 drivers of 8 points.