Two weeks until Portimão! The track explained
Following an action-packed FIA WEC season-opener at Sebring, it’s now just two weeks until round two - the 6 Hours of Portimao (14-16 April).
The WEC visited the Algarve International Circuit once in 2021, and even though it's been a permanent fixture in the ELMS calendar since 2016, it will be new to some of the WEC drivers in 2023.
So, what can the teams and fans expect from the Portuguese circuit? Find out below.
Completed in 2008, the Algarve International Circuit features 15 corners over 4,653 kilometers in a succession of very steep climbs and descents. In 2020, it was awarded a Grade 1 license by the FIA. A very fast track, Portimao will be both demanding and technical for drivers – a true test for the Hypercar and GT machinery.
Turn 1 is the first challenge of the circuit. After a pit straight of almost a kilometer and braking downhill, the cars enter this first right turn uphill. It is followed by two more right turns - the first which is fast and the second slower.
Turn 4 is the first left turn, to a new elevation which controls entry into the second straight of the circuit, before the track descends again to the hairpin turn 5. Then follows a curve to the left (turn 6) uphill, before two turns to the right (7 and 8) and further drops leading to turn 9. It's then another climb that takes the cars into turns 10 and 11, a blind double right.
Thereafter, there is a further descent and turn 12 is taken flat out, before two more slower turns (13 and 14).
Turn 15 takes the form of a long curve to the right (accelerating over nearly 300 meters) en route to the climb leading to the pit straight in the form of a plateau which then descends towards the first bend.
Click HERE for the latest entry list and ticketing information can be found HERE.
