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 Homologation (Greek ''homologeo'', ὁμολογέω, "to agree") is the granting of approval by an official authority. This may be a court of law, a government department, or an academic or professional body, any of which would normally work fr ...

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 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 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 (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 McLaren Racing Limited is a British motor racing team based at the McLaren Technology Centre in Woking, Surrey, England. McLaren is best known as a Formula One constructor, the second oldest active team, and the second most successful Formu ...

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 Ferrari S.p.A. (; ) is an Italian luxury sports car manufacturer based in Maranello, Italy. Founded by Enzo Ferrari (1898–1988) in 1939 from the Alfa Romeo racing division as ''Auto Avio Costruzioni'', the company built its first car in ...

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 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 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 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 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 race track built in 1984, and a long "North loop" track, built in the 1920s, around the village a ...

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 A1 Team Portugal was the Portuguese team for A1 Grand Prix, an international racing series. Management The ''A1 Team Portugal'' team owners were Luís Figo and Carlos Queiroz. The team's operations were run by CEO Luís Vicente, manager of th ...

'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 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 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, 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 The Supersport 300 World Championship is a motorcycle racing competition on paved surfaces, for production-based motorcycles. Created in 2017, the championship runs as a support class to the Superbike World Championship. History The Supersport 3 ...

, 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

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 premier class of motorcycle road racing events held on road circuits sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM). Independent motorcycle racing events have been held since the start ...

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 becau ...

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 The FIA World Endurance Championship is an auto racing world championship organized by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO) and sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The series supersedes the ACO's former Intercont ...

8 Hours of Portimão instead of 1000 Miles of Sebring 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 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 Craig Jones may refer to: * Craig Jones (grappler) (born 1991), Australian Submission wrestling, grappler and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt competitor * Craig Jones (musician) (born 1972), American musician * Craig Jones (motorcyclist) (1985–2008 ...

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

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

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 hos ...

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 Grand Prix motorcycle racing is the premier class of motorcycle road racing events held on road circuits sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM). Independent motorcycle racing events have been held since the start ...

'', Ferrari Challenge Europe * May: Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters,

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 A TCR Touring Car is a touring car specification, first introduce ...

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 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 GT3-spec cars, GT4-spec cars, sports cars, touring cars and 2 ...

'' 24 Hours of Portimão'',

FIM CEV Moto3 Junior World Championship FIM JuniorGP World Championship is a junior class race event organized by Dorna Sports under FIM regulations. It runs under Moto3 regulations and acts as an Moto3 World Championship feeder. This class is restricted to single-cylinder 250 cc fo ...

, Single Seater Series, Algarve Summer Party * October: Superbike World Championship,

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'',

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 (2023) * Euroformula Open Championship (2011–2014, 2021, 2023) *

'' 6 Hours of Portimão'' (2021, 2023) * GT2 European Series (2023) * International GT Open (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 f ...

(2009) * Alpine Elf Europa Cup (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 seri ...

(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 s ...

(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 ...

(2009) *

'' (2020–2021) * FIA Formula 3 European Championship (2015) * FIA GT Championship (2009) * FIM Endurance World Championship ''12 Hours of Portimão'' (2016) * GP2 Series (2009) *

Algarve motorcycle Grand Prix The 2021 Algarve motorcycle Grand Prix (officially known as the Grande Prémio Brembo do Algarve) was the seventeenth round of the 2021 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season. It was held at the Algarve International Circuit in Portimão on 7 Novemb ...

'' (2021) * GT World Challenge Europe (2014–2015) *

TCR International Series The TCR International Series was an international touring car championship. The championship was promoted by World Sporting Consulting (WSC), founded by former World Touring Car Championship manager Marcello Lotti. It was marketed as a cost-ef ...

(2015) *

World Series Formula V8 3.5 The World Series Formula V8 3.5, formerly the World Series by Nissan from 1998 to 2004, the Formula Renault 3.5 Series from 2005 to 2015 and the Formula V8 3.5 in 2016 and 2017, was a motor racing series promoted by RPM Racing (1998–2004) and R ...

(2009) * World Touring Car Championship '' FIA WTCC Race of Portugal'' (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 Paula or PAULA may refer to: Arts and entertainment Fictional characters * Paula, in video game '' EarthBound'' * Paula, in ''The Larry Sanders Show'' * Paula Campbell (''EastEnders''), in 2003 Film and television * ''Paula'' (1915 film), a s ...

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