Speaking to Lusa, the president of the FPAK, Ni Amorim, revealed that “Portugal is at the forefront” to be able to replace China in the 2023 calendar, after the cancellation of that Asian GP was announced.

“However, Portugal is not the only interested country, as Turkey is also in the running”, revealed Ni Amorim.

The 2023 calendar was announced with 24 races, the longest ever, but the restrictions adopted by China regarding Covid-19 make it impossible, for the fourth consecutive year, to hold their Grand Prix, which was scheduled for April 16.

Ni Amorim admits to having already spoken with the Government on this subject, but still does not have an answer about state support. “It will depend on whether there are funds for Portugal to host the GP. Fees are expensive, but the return justifies the investment”, says the president of FPAK.

The amounts charged by the championship promoters vary from country to country, but, during the pandemic, according to Ni Amorim, the participation fee in the championship was around 30 million euros. “Currently, I don't know what the requested amounts are, as this stage of negotiation has not yet been reached”, he stressed.

Clarifying that the decision will depend on the availability of the Government “to embrace this project”, he guarantees that “the Federation will do what can to help the AIA to make this project viable”, as “it would be very good for the country and for motorsport”.