Estoril Classics Optimises Programme to Enhance the Visitor Experience

Estoril Classics 2026 aims to offer visitors an experience that goes far beyond the action on track. For its tenth edition, the Circuito do Estoril will feature new grandstands and a number of points of interest in the paddock, creating different ways to follow the event and get closer to the cars and the people at its heart. To ensure spectators can make the most of everything on offer in greater comfort, the organisers have also prepared a more balanced schedule and optimised the grids, which will make some of the races even more action-packed.

The new grandstands, located between Turns 3 and 5, as well as on the Inner Straight, will provide additional opportunities to follow the racing from different vantage points around the circuit. Alongside the main straight, where access to the grandstand will remain free of charge, spectators will have more options when choosing the perspective from which they want to watch the races and observe the behaviour of machines spanning several decades of motorsport history.

The experience, however, will not be limited to the grandstands. The paddock will remain one of the main attractions of Estoril Classics, allowing the public to get close to the cars, teams and the entire atmosphere surrounding an event of this kind. The diversity of grids and categories on the programme means there will always be something new to discover, whether among the Formula 1 cars of Classic GP, the prototypes and GTs of Endurance Racing Legends, or the historic machinery competing in the other series.

It was precisely with visitors in mind – allowing them to move around the venue, discover the new grandstands and explore the different areas of Estoril Classics without having to choose between these experiences and the action on track – that the programme has been optimised. The session schedule allows for more comfortable breaks between the main competitive sessions, giving spectators greater freedom to move around and explore the event.

The revised schedule will also have a direct impact on the racing. Some categories will share the track, allowing more varied grids to be created and producing more intense races. This will be the case with Endurance Racing Legends, which on Sunday will bring together the cars from the two series grids in a single race, pitting the LMPs and GT1s of Endurance Racing Legends 1 against the GT2s of Endurance Racing Legends 2.

The same approach will be taken with Sixties’ Endurance and the 2.0 Litre Cup, which will share the track. Bringing together two categories with different characteristics will create a more varied field and add new opportunities for on-track battles, making the race even more entertaining both for spectators in the grandstands and those enjoying the action from the paddock.

As a result of this grid merger, and for 2026 only, the close interaction between the public and the cars – one of the defining features of Estoril Classics – will have a special moment on Sunday, 20 September. At lunchtime, the Pit Walk will allow spectators with Paddock access to walk down the pit lane and take a close look at some of the machinery taking part in the tenth edition.

The result is a programme designed to balance two dimensions that are central to the identity of Estoril Classics. On the one hand, the competition, with optimised grids designed to deliver more action-packed racing. On the other, the experience of those visiting the Estoril Circuit, with more opportunities to move around the venue, discover new viewing areas and get close to some of the most important cars in the history of motorsport.

Tickets for Estoril Classics 2026 are already on sale through BOL and FNAC. Weekend passes have traditionally attracted strong demand and frequently sell out before the event begins – three-day passes are now very close to selling out. Entry is free for children up to the age of 15 when accompanied by an adult, with a maximum of two children or young people per adult. Parking in the gravel car park is free for Paddock ticket holders, subject to availability, while access to the main straight grandstand is also free of charge.