The pandemic gave Imola the boost it needed to once again become an annual event on the calendar after years of aiming for it. Portimao, on the other hand, continues to compete in F1.
The Algarve track, a cutting-edge and fashionable grand prix location with breathtaking elevation, was the big revelation of the 2020 season. It put on another impressive performance the following spring before emerging as the front-runner to replace the cancelled Chinese round in 2023.
The inability to complete that arrangement dealt a blow to Portimao’s long-term prospects, leaving it still on the outside looking in after going two years in a row without a grand prix.
Number 4. Buddh
Some will contend that the Buddh International Circuit was well-liked by just a small number of people outside of India, and even that claim is dubious given the sharp decline in attendance from the first race to the final one.
The New Delhi venue was written off after three races between 2011 and 2013 in which Sebastian Vettel’s Red Bull dominated every single racing lap. No circuit in F1 history has been a greater victim of circumstance.
A lively, demanding course and an event with a decidedly Indian flavour—the orange, smoky haze extending across the track as the sun set immediately after a Test match in Mumbai—lies behind the repetitious outcomes, though.
