The Algarve International Circuit ( pt, Autódromo Internacional do Algarve), commonly referred to as Portimão Circuit, is a race circuit located in

Portimão Portimão () is a city and a municipality in the district of Faro, in the Algarve region of southern Portugal. The population in 2011 was 55,614, in an area of 182.06 km2. It was formerly known as Vila Nova de Portimão (). In 1924, it was ...

Algarve The Algarve (, , ; from ) is the southernmost NUTS II region of continental Portugal. It has an area of with 467,495 permanent inhabitants and incorporates 16 municipalities ( ''concelhos'' or ''municípios'' in Portuguese). The region has it ...

region, Portugal. The development includes a karting track, off-road track,

technology park A science park (also called a "university research park", "technology park”, "technopark", “technopole", or a "science and technology park" (STP)) is defined as being a property-based development that accommodates and fosters the growt ...

, five-star hotel, sports complex and apartments. The circuit was designed by Ricardo Pina, Arquitectos. The construction was finished in October 2008 and the circuit was homologated by both the FIM on 11 October 2008 and the

FIA FIA is the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (English: International Automobile Federation), the world's governing body for all forms of motor sport where four or more wheels are used. Fia or FIA may also refer to: People * Fia Backs ...

two days later. The total cost was €195 million (approximately $250 million).

The circuit

The circuit hosted the final round of the

World Superbike Championship Superbike World Championship (also known as WorldSBK, SBK, World Superbike, WSB, or WSBK) is a silhouette-class road racing series based on heavily modified production motorcycles, also known as superbike racing. The championship was founded i ...

on 2 November 2008. On 9 June, the track was confirmed to host a round of the 2008-09 A1 Grand Prix season. The race was set for the weekend of 12 April 2009. On 10 October 2008, the

Le Mans Series The European Le Mans Series (abbreviated as ELMS) is a European sports car racing endurance series inspired by the 24 Hours of Le Mans race and organized by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO). The European Le Mans Series is similar to the fo ...

announced a 1000 km night race to be held at Algarve on 2 August 2009. On 5 November 2008, the

FIA GT Championship The FIA GT Championship was a sports car racing series organized by the Stéphane Ratel Organisation (SRO) at the behest of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The championship was mostly concentrated in Europe, but throughout ...

announced and 7th round of the 2009 season will be held at Algarve on 13 September 2009. A

Formula One Formula One (also known as Formula 1 or F1) is the highest class of international racing for open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The World Drivers' Championship, ...

test session, with the McLaren and

Honda is a Japanese public multinational conglomerate manufacturer of automobiles, motorcycles, and power equipment, headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Honda has been the world's largest motorcycle manufacturer since 1959, reaching a producti ...

teams participating, was scheduled for 15–17 December 2008. Ferrari also ran at Algarve. Toyota also tested at the circuit on 20 January 2009 in the first outing of their new TF109 chassis. The circuit will also host the final round of the

2009 GP2 Series season 9 (nine) is the natural number following and preceding . Evolution of the Arabic digit In the beginning, various Indians wrote a digit 9 similar in shape to the modern closing question mark without the bottom dot. The Kshatrapa, Andhra and ...

in September 2009. From 2010 it hosted a round of the FIA

World Touring Car Championship The FIA World Touring Car Championship was an international touring car championship promoted by Eurosport Events and sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). It has had several different incarnations, including a sin ...

. On 4 April 2009

Max Mosley Max Rufus Mosley (13 April 1940 – 23 May 2021) was a British racing driver, lawyer, and president of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), a non-profit association which represents the interests of motoring organisations and ...

stated that based on the quality of the circuit it could integrate the

championship under the guise of the

Portuguese Grand Prix The Portuguese Grand Prix (''Grande Prémio de Portugal'') is a motorsports event that was first held in 1951 as a sportscar event, and then intermittently disappearing for many years before being revived again. In 1964 event was held as a spo ...

, as long as a commercial agreement with the

Formula One Management The Formula One Group is a group of companies responsible for the promotion of the FIA Formula One World Championship, and the exercising of the sport's commercial rights. The Group was previously owned by Delta Topco, a Jersey-based company ow ...

was achieved. Due to changes to the 2020

season as a result of the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

, the Algarve International Circuit has by way of exception hosted the

2020 Portuguese Grand Prix The 2020 Portuguese Grand Prix (officially known as the Formula 1 Heineken Grande Prémio de Portugal 2020) was a Formula One motor race that was held on 25 October 2020 at the Algarve International Circuit in Portimão, Portugal. It was the fir ...

. The circuit resembles old Nürburgring and

Spa-Francorchamps The Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps (), frequently referred to as ''Spa'', is a motor-racing circuit located in Stavelot, Belgium. It is the current venue of the Formula One Belgian Grand Prix, hosting its first Grand Prix in 1925, and has he ...

, mainly because of its constantly undulating nature. A1 Team Portugal's driver

Filipe Albuquerque Filipe Miguel Delgadinho Albuquerque (born 13 June 1985) is a Portuguese professional racing driver, currently driving a Acura ARX-05 in the IMSA SportsCar Championship for Wayne Taylor Racing, and an Oreca 07 in the FIA World Endurance Cham ...

observed that there are big downhill slopes and right-hand turns after the main straight. He also commented that the track is good for overtaking because of the circuit width.

A1 Team New Zealand A1 Team New Zealand is the New Zealand team of A1 Grand Prix, an international racing series. Management The team was formed by and is owned by prominent Auckland businessman Colin Giltrap, well known for this car dealerships. The team is mana ...

's driver

Earl Bamber Earl Anderson Bamber (born 9 July 1990) is a professional racing driver from New Zealand, currently competing as a factory driver for Porsche Motorsport in the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship GTLM class. He is the 2014 Porsche Supercup an ...

observed that there are many special turns with personality. He commented that the new circuit is a little bit dangerous like the old school circuits with a roller coaster ride.

A1 Team France A1 Team France is the French team of A1 Grand Prix, an international racing series. The team were the A1 Grand Prix champions for the inaugural season, 2005-06. Management A1 Team France's owner is Jean-Paul Driot. The team was previously mana ...

's driver

Nicolas Prost Nicolas "Nico" Jean Prost (born 18 August 1981) is a French professional racing driver. He most recently raced in the FIA Formula E Championship before quitting the series. Also, he was a longstanding racer in the FIA World Endurance Championshi ...

commented that the asphalt was new and the circuit has little grip. The first episode of ''

The Grand Tour ''The Grand Tour'' is a British motoring television series, created by Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, James May and Andy Wilman, made for Amazon exclusively for its online streaming service Amazon Prime Video, and premiered on 18 November ...

'', "The Holy Trinity" was shot here in 2016. At the 2022 Supersport 300 World Championship,

Victor Steeman Victor Steeman (15 June 2000 – 11 October 2022) was a Dutch motorcycle racer. He competed in the Supersport 300 World Championship intermittently from 2018 until 2022 when he died from his injuries from a crash at the first race of Portimão r ...

died causing fatal accident at this circuit while racing in the Race 1 Portimão round.

After COVID-19 pandemic

In July 2020 it was announced that the circuit would host the Formula One

from 23 to 25 October, as part of a revised calendar arising from the disruption caused by the

. This marked the first time a Portuguese Grand Prix had been held since the 1996 race, which had taken place at the

Autódromo do Estoril The Circuito do Estoril or Autódromo do Estoril (Estoril Circuit), officially known as Autódromo Fernanda Pires da Silva, is a motorsport race track on the Portuguese Riviera, outside of Lisbon, owned by state-run holding management company P ...

. The circuit hosted the Portuguese Grand Prix again in 2021 from 30 April to 2 May. In August 2020 it was announced that the circuit would host the MotoGP

Portuguese motorcycle Grand Prix The Portuguese motorcycle Grand Prix is a motorcycling road racing event that is part of the Grand Prix motorcycle racing World Championship. History The event was first held in 1987 at the Jarama circuit in Spain. The reason for this was beca ...

from 20 to 22 November, as part of a revised calendar arising from the disruption caused by the

. On 10 August 2020, MotoGP announced that the coronavirus-hit season would end with the Portuguese Grand Prix in Portimão. The circuit hosted the Portuguese motor cycle Grand Prix again in 2021 from 16 to 18 April, and hosted a second event named the Algarve Grand Prix from 5 to 7 November. In January 2021 it was announced that the circuit would host the FIA World Endurance Championship 8 Hours of Portimão instead of

1000 Miles of Sebring The 1,000 Miles of Sebring is a sports car race that is held at the Sebring International Raceway, on the site of the former Hendricks Army Airfield World War II Air Base, in Sebring, Florida, USA. It was created for the FIA World Endurance ...

on 4 April due to the disruption caused by the

. However, on 5 March 2021; the round was postponed into the original date of

2021 24 Hours of Le Mans The 89th 24 Hours of Le Mans (French: ''89e 24 Heures du Mans'') was a 24-hour automobile endurance race for Le Mans Prototype (LMP) and Le Mans Grand Touring Endurance (LMGTE) cars held between 21 and 22 August 2021, at the ...

, 13 June in order to increase the possibility of fans being able to attend the race. For 2022, it was planned that the circuit would not host F1 and WEC races, but it would continue to host MotoGP, World SBK, and

ELMS Elms are deciduous and semi-deciduous trees comprising the flowering plant genus ''Ulmus'' in the plant family Ulmaceae. They are distributed over most of the Northern Hemisphere, inhabiting the temperate and tropical-montane regions of Nor ...

races. Besides them, it would host DTM,

TCR Europe The TCR Europe Touring Car Series is an annual touring car racing event that is held at various locations across Europe. The series is run in accordance with the TCR Touring Car regulations with production-based cars that are front-wheel drive and ...

and Lamborghini Super Trofeo World Finals for the first time in 2022. In September 2022, it was announced that the circuit returned to the 2023 WEC calendar.

Craig Jones memorial

The circuit is the site of a statue in tribute to Craig Jones, representing Jones on his motorbike after passing the finishing line. This statue will be the main part of a

monument A monument is a type of structure that was explicitly created to commemorate a person or event, or which has become relevant to a social group as a part of their remembrance of historic times or cultural heritage, due to its artistic, hist ...

, already partially built, which also includes the architectural arrangement of the main access roundabout to the racetrack, created by Paula Hespanha and Portuguese architect Manuel Pedro Ferreira Chaves. This monument is a landscape

sculpture Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable ...

, representing the main straight of a racing circuit, which extends up to the car park of the main grandstand. It has been confirmed that one of the corners of the circuit was named after former World Supersport rider Craig Jones who was killed in a motorcycle crash at

Brands Hatch Brands Hatch is a motor racing circuit in West Kingsdown, Kent, England, United Kingdom. Originally used as a grasstrack motorcycle circuit on farmland, it hosted 12 runnings of the British Grand Prix between 1964 and 1986 and currently host ...

in 2008.

Layout configurations

File:Autódromo de Algarve.svg, Grand Prix Circuit with

chicane A chicane () is a serpentine curve in a road, added by design rather than dictated by geography. Chicanes add extra turns and are used both in motor racing and on roads and streets to slow traffic for safety. For example, one form of chicane is ...

(2008–2019) File:Autódromo do Algarve F1 Sectors.svg, Grand Prix Circuit (2008–present) File:Autódromo do Algarve moto.svg, Motorcycling Circuit (2008–present)

Events

; Current * April: Grand Prix motorcycle racing ''

'', Ferrari Challenge Europe * May:

Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters The Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters (DTM, German Touring Car Masters) is a grand touring car series sanctioned by ITR e.V. who have been affiliated to the DMSB- FIA since 1984. The series is based in Germany, with rounds elsewhere in Europe. The s ...

TCR Europe Touring Car Series The TCR Europe Touring Car Series is an annual touring car racing event that is held at various locations across Europe. The series is run in accordance with the TCR Touring Car regulations with production-based cars that are front-wheel drive and ...

F4 Spanish Championship The F4 Spanish Championship ( es, Campeonato de España de Fórmula 4) is an FIA Formula 4 racing series. The championship was planned to launch in 2015, though the inaugural season was cancelled and delayed until 2016. Koiranen GP was the promot ...

, Campeonato de España de Resistencia * July: 24H Series ''

24 Hours of Portimão The 24 Hours of Portimão is both a sports car and touring car automobile endurance race held annually at the Algarve International Circuit. It was inaugurated in 2017. The race is currently part of 24H GT Series and Touring Car Endurance Serie ...

'', FIM CEV Moto3 Junior World Championship, Single Seater Series, Algarve Summer Party * October:

Superbike World Championship Superbike World Championship (also known as WorldSBK, SBK, World Superbike, WSB, or WSBK) is a silhouette-class road racing series based on heavily modified production motorcycles, also known as superbike racing. The championship was founded i ...

European Le Mans Series The European Le Mans Series (abbreviated as ELMS) is a European sports car racing endurance series inspired by the 24 Hours of Le Mans race and organized by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO). The European Le Mans Series is similar to the ...

4 Hours of Portimão The 4 Hours of Portimão (also known as 4 Hours of Algarve) is an endurance race for sports cars, held at Autódromo Internacional do Algarve, in Portugal. The first races were held in 2009 and 2010 as ''1000 Kilometres of Algarve'', as part of L ...

'',

FIA Masters Historic Formula One Championship The FIA Masters Historic Formula One Championship is a championship that has old Formula One cars from "the golden era", which caters for 3-litre engine Formula 1 cars, from 1966 to 1985. The series grew out of the Grand Prix Masters series ( ...

''Algarve Classic Festival'' * November: Lamborghini Super Trofeo World Finals * December: GT Winter Series ; Future *

British GT Championship The British GT Championship is a sports car racing series based predominantly in the United Kingdom. The series was originally created by the British Racing Drivers' Club in 1993 and, for its first two seasons, was known as the National Sports GT ...

(2023) *

Euroformula Open Championship The Euroformula Open Championship (formerly the Spanish Formula Three Championship, European F3 Open Championship) is a junior formula racing series based in Spain. It was one of six national and international Formula Three championships in Europ ...

(2011–2014, 2021, 2023) * FIA World Endurance Championship ''

6 Hours of Portimão The 6 Hours of Portimão is an endurance race for sports cars held at Algarve International Circuit in Portugal. History The Algarve International Circuit was constructed in 2008 and has hosted European Le Mans Series races before with the 4 Ho ...

'' (2021, 2023) *

GT2 European Series The GT2 European Series (formerly the GT Sports Club and Blancpain GT Sports Club), organized by SRO Motorsports Group, is an auto racing series for the SRO GT2 class of grand tourer cars, designed for amateur pay drivers in the FIA Bronze catego ...

(2023) *

International GT Open The International GT Open is a grand tourer-style sports car racing series founded in 2006 by the Spanish GT Sport Organización. It was a spin-off of the now-defunct Spanish GT Championship, but is now a distinct series featuring FIA GT3-spec ca ...

(2009, 2011–2014, 2023) ; Former *

A1 Grand Prix A1 Grand Prix (A1GP) was a "single-make" open-wheel auto racing series that ran from 2005 until 2009. It was unique in its field in that competitors solely represented their nation as opposed to themselves or a team, the usual format in most for ...

(2009) *

Alpine Elf Europa Cup The Alpine Elf Europa Cup is a one-make sports car racing series founded in 2018 featuring the Alpine A110 Cup. Format The series consists of events in various European countries which feature two races over a weekend. Each weekend the series h ...

(2020–2021) *

Auto GP Auto GP, sometimes referred to as the Auto GP World Series and formerly known as both Euro Formula 3000 and the Euroseries 3000, was a European formula racing series. The series' roots can be traced back to 1999 and the Italian Formula 3000 serie ...

(2009, 2012) *

British Formula 3 International Series The British Formula Three Championship was an international motor racing series that took place primarily in the United Kingdom with a small number of events in mainland Europe. It was a junior-level feeder formula that used small single sea ...

(2009) *

EuroBOSS Series The BOSS GP Series is a motor racing series in Europe. The category originated in 1995 as the BOSS Formula series and evolved into the EuroBOSS Series. BOSS is an acronym that stands for ''Big Open Single Seaters''. History The BOSS series w ...

(2009) *

'' (2020–2021) *

FIA Formula 3 European Championship The FIA Formula 3 European Championship was a European Formula Three(F3) auto racing competition, organised by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). After one season of the FIA Formula 3 International Trophy, the FIA revived t ...

(2015) *

(2009) *

FIM Endurance World Championship The Endurance World Championship ( FIM EWC) is the premier worldwide endurance championship in motorcycle road racing. The championship season consists of a series of endurance races (with a duration of six, eight, twelve or twenty-four hours) h ...

''12 Hours of Portimão'' (2016) *

GP2 Series The GP2 Series was a form of open wheel motor racing introduced in 2005 following the discontinuation of the long-term Formula One feeder series, Formula 3000. The GP2 format was conceived by Bernie Ecclestone and Flavio Briatore, while Eccles ...

(2009) * Grand Prix motorcycle racing '' Algarve motorcycle Grand Prix'' (2021) *

GT World Challenge Europe GT World Challenge Europe (known as the Blancpain GT Series between 2014 and 2019) is a sports car racing series organised by SRO Motorsports Group. It features grand tourer racing cars modified from production road cars complying with the FIA's GT ...

(2014–2015) * TCR International Series (2015) * World Series Formula V8 3.5 (2009) *

FIA WTCC Race of Portugal The FIA WTCR Race of Portugal (known as the FIA WTCC Race of Portugal from 2007 to 2017) is a motor racing event held in Portugal as part of the World Touring Car Cup (WTCR) series, and formerly the World Touring Car Championship (WTCC). First run ...

'' (2010, 2012)

Lap records

The official race lap records at the Algarve International Circuit are listed as:

References

External links

*
Track maps and history at RacingCircuits.info
* 3D preview of the Craig Jones Memorial, partially built, in the main access of the Algarve Motor Park - YouTub

* “Craig Jones remembered with statue honor” in ''Algarve resident'' (30 October 2009

* “Craig Jones memorial removed” in ''Algarve resident'' (5 November 2009)

* ” Paula Hespanha expõe estátua de Craig Jones” in ''Jornal Hardmusica'' (October 2009

* “Memorial Craig Jones em Portimão” in ''Atrox Mobilis – Motos e Mobilidade'' (22 October 2009) (contains a 3D preview of the Craig Jones Memorial

{{DEFAULTSORT:Autodromo Internacional Do Algarve Sports venues completed in 2008 Motorsport venues in Portugal A1 Grand Prix circuits Superbike World Championship circuits Buildings and structures in Portimão 2008 establishments in Portugal Sport in Portimão Tourist attractions in the Algarve World Touring Car Championship circuits Formula One circuits Grand Prix motorcycle circuits