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Portugal · Algarve

Portimão

Portugal's rollercoaster: Ricardo Pina's 2008 Algarve circuit near Portimão, 4.653 km of blind crests, steep gradients and a downhill plunge into Turn 1 that hosted the F1 Portuguese Grand Prix in 2020 and 2021.

Length
4.653 km
2.891 mi
Turns
15
Direction
Clockwise
Elevation change
24 m
79 ft
In use
2008-present

Portimão

The Autódromo Internacional do Algarve opened in 2008 in the hills above Portimão on Portugal’s southern coast, designed by architect Ricardo Pina. The Grand Prix circuit runs clockwise over 2.891 mi (4.653 km) and fifteen turns, with around 79 ft (24 m) between its lowest and highest points. That constant rise and fall (blind crests, steep climbs and sudden drops packed into a short lap) earned it the nickname the “rollercoaster,” and made it one of the most distinctive modern circuits when it stepped up to host the Formula 1 Portuguese Grand Prix in 2020 and 2021.

The plunge into Turn 1

The circuit’s signature moment is the approach to Turn 1: the long main straight drops downhill into a heavy braking zone, compresses the cars at the bottom of the dip, then climbs away again on the exit of the medium-speed right-hander. It is the best overtaking spot on the lap and the corner where the track’s three-dimensional character is most obvious. Lewis Hamilton set the Formula 1 race lap record here in 2020 at 1:18.750.

Blind crests and the high point

Because most of the corners are unnamed and simply numbered, Portimão is learned through its elevation rather than its landmarks. Turn 4 is a fast left over a blind uphill crest that can unsettle the car; the Turn 10-11 double-right climbs roughly 12 m into a blind entry at the circuit’s high point, then drops some 16 m down the other side, the steepest descent on the lap. The closing sequence works downhill and back up before the fast, undulating final right of Turn 15 releases the cars onto the long straight to begin the plunge again.

Corner-by-corner

  • T1

    Turn 1

    • Right

    A medium-speed right-hander reached at the foot of the long main straight, which drops downhill into a heavy braking zone before the track climbs back up; the circuit's prime overtaking spot and the start of an opening run of corners.

    Turn 1 is where the Portimão rollercoaster announces itself: the main straight plunges downhill into the braking zone, the cars compress at the bottom, then climb away again on exit. The combination of a fast approach, a blind dip and an uphill release makes it the circuit's signature braking point and its best passing opportunity.

  • T2

    Turn 2

    • Right

    A fast right-hand kink taken close to flat out, bridging the Turn 1 complex and the braking zone for the tight Turn 3 hairpin.

  • T3

    Turn 3

    • Right

    The circuit's first hairpin, a very tight, slow first-gear right-hander and one of the slowest points on the lap, taken after the run down from Turn 2.

  • T4

    Turn 4

    • Left

    A fast left-hander that runs uphill over a blind crest, where the lightening of the car at the top can provoke oversteer; one of the most distinctive corners on the circuit.

  • T5

    Turn 5

    • Left

    A left-hand hairpin preceded by a downhill braking zone, taken slow with a slight helping camber before the track opens out again.

  • T6

    Turn 6

    • Left

    A flat-out, blind left-hand kink taken at speed out of Turn 5, leading toward the quick right of Turn 7.

  • T7

    Turn 7

    • Right

    A quick right-hander following the flat-out Turn 6, setting the cars up for the tricky braking into Turn 8.

  • T8

    Turn 8

    • Right

    An uphill, open right-hand corner where braking is tricky because the car is still turning from the previous corner; the climb makes the entry blind.

  • T9

    Turn 9

    • Left

    A fast, brave, undulating left-hander taken after the circuit falls away, where good vision over the crest is critical; its handedness is single-sourced (RaceControl).

  • T10

    Turn 10

    • Right

    The first half of a blind double-right complex with a steep uphill, climbing roughly 12 metres into a blind entry; one of the most technical sections on the circuit.

  • T11

    Turn 11

    • Right

    The second half of the blind double-right, cresting the circuit's high point before a steep downhill drop of around 16 metres on the exit, the steepest descent on the lap.

  • T12

    Turn 12

    • Left

    A fast, near-flat-out left-hander approached downhill to the apex before the track climbs away again; carries high speed through the back of the lap.

  • T13

    Turn 13

    • Right

    A slow braking-zone corner taken uphill with a drop-off on the outside; sources disagree on its handedness (a right-hand braking corner versus a left-hand hairpin), and the right-hand reading is recorded.

  • T14

    Turn 14

    • Right

    A technically difficult, off-camber downhill U-shaped right-hander where the adverse camber limits entry speed; handedness is taken from the most complete guide (RaceControl).

  • T15

    Turn 15

    • Right

    A fast, undulating right-hand final corner that releases the cars uphill onto the long main straight; a clean exit is critical for the long run to Turn 1.