Autódromo Internacional do Algarve
The Algarve's modern Grade 1 circuit near Portimão, known for its rollercoaster elevation changes and blind crests. Warm, dry winters make it a regular off-season choice for UK track day drivers.
- Length
- 4.592 km
- 2.854 miles
- Direction
- Clockwise
- 15 corners
- Noise limit
- Varies
- check with operator
- Elevation
- 100 m
- above sea level
Rain forecast & radar
forecast: next 24h · radar: past 2h (observed)Forecast rain map — play the loop to see where the model expects rain over the next 24 hours around the circuit.
Observed rain radar — which way the rain has actually been moving. A dry paddock doesn't mean a dry apex.
Track map
Grand Prix · Clockwise · 15 corners- 01Primeira
- 02Turn 2
- 03Curva Lagos
- 04Turn 4
- 05Curva da Torre VIP
- 06Turn 6
- 07Turn 7
- 08Curva Samsung
- 09Craig Jones
- 10Curva Portimão
- 11Turn 11
- 12Turn 12
- 13Turn 13
- 14Sagres
- 15Galp
Outline digitized from the circuit's official corner diagram. Corner markers are indicative — not a substitute for the circuit's own briefing map.
The full Grand Prix layout used for F1, MotoGP, WSBK and most track days — 15 corners (9 right, 6 left) over constantly changing gradients.
What's on
Track days
- Autumn to spring
Winter sun track days and test weeks
Various UK and European operators
- Year-round
Open pitlane and sessioned days
Circuit / local operators
Race meetings
- Season-long
World Superbike round
Dorna / FIM
- Season-long
Portuguese national championship rounds
FPAK
- Selected dates
International GT, endurance and historic meetings
Various
Curated by hand and shown as typical timing rather than confirmed dates. Always check the operator's or organising club's own calendar before booking travel.
Key info
- Noise limit
- Varies by event — confirm the drive-by and static limits with your track day operator
- Elevation notes
- The defining feature of the circuit. Opened in 2008 and FIA Grade 1, it climbs at up to 6.2% and drops at up to 12%, with several blind crests where the track falls away out of sight. Many braking and turn-in points arrive before you can see the apex.
Known tricky sections
- Primeira (Turn 1)
Heavy braking at the end of the main straight, over a crest. The braking point comes up faster than it looks on the first laps.
- Blind crests
Several corners are taken over brows where the road drops away. Learn the reference points on the sighting laps and build speed gradually.
- Curva Portimão
The highest point on the circuit. You arrive uphill and blind, and the track drops steeply on the exit — the car goes light just as you want to get on the power.
- Craig Jones
Named after the late World Supersport rider. A fast, committing corner where a small mistake on entry shows up straight away on the exit.
- Galp (final corner)
A long, downhill right onto the main straight. A good exit here sets up the whole straight and Turn 1.
Nearby amenities
- Fuel
Mexilhoeira Grande / Portimão forecourts
Several fuel stations within 10–15 minutes along the N125 and A22; 98 RON widely available.
- Food
Circuit restaurant / Portimão
Catering on site on event days; Portimão and Praia da Rocha have plenty of options for evenings.
- Accommodation
On-site hotel and Algarve resorts
The circuit complex has its own hotel and apartments; Portimão, Lagos and Alvor are 15–25 minutes away and good value outside summer.
Travelling from the UK
Nearest airports
Faro (FAO), about 60 km away — the main UK-to-Algarve airport, with frequent flights from most UK airports.
Typical routes
- Fly to Faro, then hire a car and drive west on the A22 motorway — roughly 30–45 minutes to the circuit.
- By road it's a 3-day drive: Eurotunnel/ferry to France, then through Spain via Madrid and Seville — around 2,500 km from Calais.
- Portsmouth–Bilbao or Plymouth–Santander (Brittany Ferries) cuts out the French leg; allow roughly 10–11 hours' driving from northern Spain.
Documentation & border notes
- UK-registered cars need a UK identifier — a UK sticker, or a number plate carrying the UK identifier. GB stickers are no longer valid.
- Check your road insurance covers EU driving and carry proof; a green card is not currently required for EU countries.
- Track driving is excluded from virtually every road policy — arrange separate on-track cover before you travel.
- Carry your V5C (or VE103 for a hire/lease car), photocard licence and passport.
- Portugal requires a warning triangle and hi-vis vest; headlamp deflectors are needed for RHD cars.
- The A22 Algarve motorway is electronic-toll only — register your plate or use a hire car with a transponder.
- Most UK teams bringing a race car use a transporter service rather than driving down.