FEBRUARY 3, 1997

Portugal is on!

THE Automovel Club de Portugal has given a guarantee to the FIA that the circuit will be resurfaced and ready for inspection by August 31.

THE Automovel Club de Portugal has given a guarantee to the FIA that the circuit will be resurfaced and ready for inspection by August 31. The FIA has thus confirmed that the Portuguese GP will take place on October 26. The news will come as a disappointment for the authorities in Jerez de la Frontera, which had been hoping to get a race if Estoril failed to make the necessary changes.

The long term future of the Portuguese race remains in some doubt as the facilities at Estoril are far more basic than most of the other F1 venues and major investment will be necessary for the race to continue.