he Autodromo Internacional do Algarve – known more colloquially as Portimao, after the port city it sits half an hour outside of – was opened in the autumn of 2008, with construction of the permanent facility completed in just seven months, and at a cost of €195 million.
When was its first Grand Prix?
Portimao joined the F1 calendar at short notice amid 2020's Covid-19 changes, having never previously hosted a Formula 1 World Championship event. Prior to that, the track was used for F1 pre-season testing in the winter of 2008-09, while several drivers on the grid, including Daniel Ricciardo, Charles Leclerc and Valtteri Bottas, experienced the Portuguese circuit during their junior careers.
What’s the circuit like?
Rather like Austin’s Circuit of The Americas, Portimao is a modern venue with elevation change baked into its layout. The Ricardo Pena-designed 4.6-km lap sends drivers swooping up hill and down dale, before culminating in a plunge down to the final right-hander at Galp leading back onto the pit straight.
