Which MotoGP riders do well at the Grand Prix of Portugal with Valentino Rossi the most successful of all time

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MotoGP is headed to the Algarve International Circuit for the 20th edition of the Grand Prix of Portugal, after returning to the calendar in 2020.

The race first debuted on the premier class calendar in 1987 at the Jarama circuit in Spain after the intended Circuito do Estoril was not ready to host the event.

The track was unready in 1988, with the race once again being moved to a Spanish track, the new Circuito de Jerez, under the name Expo 92 Grand Prix.

MotoGP didn’t return to Portugal until 2000, when it finally hosted its first grand prix in the country at the Estoril track.

The Circuito do Estoril hosted the Grand Prix of Portugal until 2012 after it was dropped for a race at the Circuit of the Americas the following year.

The Grand Prix of Portugal made its most recent return to the MotoGP calendar in 2020, as part of a revised calendar during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Five current riders have taken victories around the Algarve International Circuit, with Fabio Quartararo being the only recent rider to have won multiple times, with victories in 2021 and 2022.

Read more: MotoGP 2025 Grand Prix of Portugal race and qualifying times, weekend schedule and weather forecast

Valentino Rossi holds record for most wins at the Grand Prix of Portugal

Valentino Rossi is the most successful MotoGP rider at the Grand Prix of Portugal, taking five victories at the Circuito do Estoril.

Rossi’s first victory came in the 500cc category in 2001, his seventh of the season. The victory came at the perfect time for the Italian, who was on his way to his first premier class championship.

His championship rival Max Biaggi started from pole position, but when the rider crashed with seven laps remaining, Rossi claimed the lead and extended his championship gap to 43 points.

After his initial victory, Rossi took a further three consecutive wins until 2004, before his final win came at the event in 2007.

Only three riders have claimed multiple victories at the Grand Prix of Portugal

Three riders have seen multiple successes at the Grand Prix of Portugal in the premier class. Valentino Rossi is the most dominant, but Jorge Lorenzo is the second most successful with three wins at the event.

The Spaniard claimed consecutive victories around the Circuito do Estoril between 2008 and 2010. Lorenzo had stepped up to MotoGP at the start of the 2008 season and had claimed podiums in the first two races of the year before the sport moved to Portugal.

The Yamaha rider took his maiden victory at the Grand Prix of Portugal after starting from pole position for the third consecutive race. He briefly lost the lead into the first turn but worked quickly back to the front with 15 laps remaining, to fend off the pressure from his teammate Valentino Rossi and Dani Pedrosa.

Fabio Quartararo is the only other rider to have taken multiple victories in Portugal, claiming back-to-back wins in 2021 and 2022. After finishing 14th at the event’s return in 2020, the Frenchman took his second victory of the season the following year, on his push for the title.