The Algarve circuit at Portimão climbs and drops like few others. Blind crests and a green surface make it one of the hardest laps to learn.
What it is
- 4.653 km, 15 corners
- Elevation change of roughly 70 meters across the lap
- Several corners are entered over a crest, with the apex out of sight
- WEC has raced here over 8 hours (2021) and 6 hours (2023)
What it demands
Portimão is a commitment circuit. Braking points sit on crests, the car goes light exactly where the driver needs to turn, and confidence is built lap by lap rather than found in the first stint.
For endurance racing that has a practical effect: the spread between the quickest and the slowest driver in a crew is wider here than at flat tracks, and stint plans often follow driver confidence rather than tyre life.
The surface also starts green and improves noticeably through the race, which shows up in our pace curves as a rising trend that has nothing to do with fuel load.