The Algarve International Circuit (), 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 (district), Faro, in the Algarve region of southern Portugal. The population in 2022 was 63,079 in an area of 182.06 km2. It was formerly known as Vila Nova de Portimão. In ...

Algarve The Algarve (, , ) is the southernmost NUTS statistical regions of Portugal, NUTS II region of continental Portugal. It has an area of with 467,495 permanent inhabitants and incorporates 16 municipalities (concelho, ''concelhos'' or ''município ...

region, Portugal. The development includes a karting track, off-road track, technology park, 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 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 road racing series based on heavily modified production sports motorcycles. The championship was founded in . The Superbike World Champio ...

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 ...

announced a 1000 km night race to be held at Algarve on 2 August 2009. On 5 November 2008, the FIA GT Championship announced and 7th round of the 2009 season will be held at Algarve on 13 September 2009. A

Formula One Formula One (F1) is the highest class of worldwide racing for open-wheel single-seater formula Auto racing, racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The FIA Formula One World Championship has been one ...

test session, with the

McLaren McLaren Racing Limited ( ) is a British auto racing, motor racing team based at the McLaren Technology Centre in Woking, Surrey, England. The team is a subsidiary of the McLaren Group, which owns a majority of the team. McLaren is best known a ...

and

Honda commonly known as just Honda, is a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational Conglomerate (company), conglomerate automotive manufacturer headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Founded in October 1946 by Soichiro Honda, Honda has bee ...

teams participating, was scheduled for 15–17 December 2008.

Ferrari Ferrari S.p.A. (; ) is an Italian luxury sports car manufacturer based in Maranello. Founded in 1939 by Enzo Ferrari (1898–1988), the company built Auto Avio Costruzioni 815, its first car in 1940, adopted its current name in 1945, and be ...

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 also hosted the final round of the 2009 GP2 Series season in September 2009. From 2010 it hosted a round of the FIA World Touring Car Championship. On 4 April 2009 Max Mosley stated that based on the quality of the circuit it could integrate the

championship under the guise of the Portuguese Grand Prix, as long as a commercial agreement with the Formula One Management 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 and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

, the Algarve International Circuit has by way of exception hosted the 2020 Portuguese Grand Prix. The circuit resembles old

Nürburgring The () is a 150,000-person capacity motorsports complex located in the town of Nürburg, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It features a Grand Prix motor racing, Grand Prix race track built in 1984, and a long configuration, built in the 1920s ...

and Spa-Francorchamps, mainly because of its constantly undulating nature. A1 Team Portugal's driver Filipe Albuquerque 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's driver

Earl Bamber Earl Anderson Bamber (born 9 July 1990) is a New Zealand professional racing driver and racing team owner who currently competes in the IMSA SportsCar Championship and the FIA World Endurance Championship for Cadillac Hertz Team Jota and Ca ...

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's driver Nicolas Prost 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, for Amazon Prime Video, and premiered on 18 November 2016. The programme was devised in the wake of the depar ...

'', "The Holy Trinity" was shot here in 2016. At the 2022 Supersport 300 World Championship, Victor Steeman 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 Portuguese Grand Prix 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 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 Grand Prix motorcycle racing is the highest class of motorcycle road racing events held on Road racing, road circuits sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM). Independent motorcycle racing events have been held sin ...

Portuguese motorcycle Grand Prix 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 motorcycle 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 The FIA World Endurance Championship, abbreviated as WEC, is a world championship for automobile endurance racing organized by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO) and sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The se ...

8 Hours of Portimão instead of

1000 Miles of Sebring The 1,000 Miles of Sebring is a Sports car racing, 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, Sebring, Florida, United States. ...

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, 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 races. Besides them, it would host DTM, TCR Europe and Lamborghini Super Trofeo World Final 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, historical ...

, 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 A landscape is the visible features of an area of land, its landforms, and how they integrate with natural or human-made features, often considered in terms of their aesthetic appeal.''New Oxford American Dictionary''. A landscape includes th ...

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 sc ...

, 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 hosts ...

in 2008.

Layout configurations

Events

; Current * January: GT Winter Series, GT4 Winter Series, Prototype Winter Series, Porsche Sprint Challenge Southern Europe * February: Formula Winter Series, Eurocup-3 Spanish Winter Championship, Eurocup-4 Spanish Winter Championship * March:

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

, Supersport World Championship, Supersport 300 World Championship * April: International GT Open,

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 Europe ...

, TCR Europe Touring Car Series, GT Cup Open Europe, Algarve Welcome Spring * June:

Ultimate Cup Series The Ultimate Cup Series is an auto racing series formed in 2019. This endurance championship mainly takes place in France, with rounds elsewhere in Europe. The Ultimate Cup Series is a program comprising multiple endurance and sprint championshi ...

Eurocup-3 Eurocup-3 is a formula racing series regulated according to Formula Regional regulations. The series is founded for levelling up the competition for all drivers, with each team committing on a maximum budget of €400,000 every season. History ...

, Campeonato de España de GT, F4 Spanish Championship, Porsche Cup Brasil * July: Ferrari Challenge Europe, Porsche Cup Brasil * October:

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 fo ...

'' 4 Hours of Portimão'', Le Mans Cup, Ligier European Series, Fun Cup, Algarve Classic Festival * November:

Grand Prix motorcycle racing Grand Prix motorcycle racing is the highest class of motorcycle road racing events held on Road racing, road circuits sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM). Independent motorcycle racing events have been held sin ...

'' Portuguese motorcycle Grand Prix'', MotoE World Championship ''Portuguese eRace'' ; Former *

24H Series The 24H Series is a sports car racing and touring car racing series developed by Creventic and with approval from the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). It features Group GT3, GT3-spec cars, Group GT4, GT4-spec cars, Sports car r ...

** '' 24 Hours of Portimão'' (2017–2020, 2022, 2024) * A1 Grand Prix (2009) * Acceleration 2014 (2014) * Alpine Elf Cup Series (2020–2021, 2024) * Auto GP (2009, 2012) * Blancpain GT Series (2014–2015) * British Formula 3 International Series (2009) *

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 G ...

(2023) *

Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters The Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters, commonly abbreviated as the DTM, is a sports car racing series sanctioned by ADAC. The series is based in Germany, with rounds elsewhere in Europe. The series currently races a modified version of Group GT3 gra ...

(2022) *

EuroBOSS Series The BOSS GP Racing 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 serie ...

(2009) * Ferrari Challenge Europe (2009–2011, 2013–2014, 2022, 2024) * FIA Formula 3 European Championship (2015) * FIA Formula Two Championship (2010, 2012) * FIA GT Championship ** '' Algarve 2 Hours'' (2009) *

FIA GT1 World Championship The FIA GT1 World Championship was a world championship sports car racing series, developed by the Stéphane Ratel Organisation, SRO Group and regulated by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), that was held from 2010 to 2012. I ...

(2010–2012) * FIA GT3 European Championship (2009–2012) *

** '' 6 Hours of Portimão'' (2023) ** '' 8 Hours of Portimão'' (2021) *

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) ...

** ''12 Hours of Portimão'' (2016) * FIM JuniorGP World Championship (2014–2016, 2020–2024) * FIM Moto2 European Championship (2014–2016, 2020–2024) * FIM Women's Motorcycling World Championship (2024) * Formula Le Mans Cup (2009) *

** '' Portuguese Grand Prix'' (2020–2021) * Formula Renault 2.0 West European Cup (2009) * Formula Renault 3.5 Series (2009) *

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 Ecc ...

** '' Algarve GP2 Series round'' (2009) *

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

GT2 European Series The GT2 European Series (formerly the GT Sports Club and Blancpain GT Sports Club), organized by Stéphane Ratel Organisation, SRO Motorsports Group, is an auto racing series for the SRO GT2 class of grand tourer cars, designed for amateur pay dr ...

(2023) * GT4 European Cup (2009–2010) * International GTSprint Series (2010–2011, 2013) * Lamborghini Super Trofeo World Final (2022) * Porsche Carrera Cup France (2021, 2024) * Radical World Finals (2023) * Renault Clio Cup Europe (2024) *

Superstars Series The Superstars International Series was a production-based touring car racing championship held between 2004 and 2013. It was managed by the "Superstars World of Racing SpA", SWR, a company of FG Group with headquarters in Rome and sanctioned by ...

(2009–2011, 2013) *

TCR International Series The TCR International Series was an international Touring car racing, touring car championship. The championship was promoted by World Sporting Consulting (WSC), founded by former World Touring Car Championship manager Marcello Lotti. It was ma ...

(2015) * TCR World Tour (2023) * V de V Sports (2017) * World Touring Car Championship ** '' FIA WTCC Race of Portugal'' (2010, 2012)

Lap records

As of June 2025, the fastest official race lap records at the Algarve International Circuit are listed as:

Notes

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 FIM Women's Motorcycling World Championship circuits