Ferrari Hypercar

    16 April 2023

    After its first appearance at the 1000 Miles of Sebring, the hybrid powertrain Hypercar comes to Europe for round two of the World Endurance Championship. 

    Portimão provides the backdrop for the much anticipated event. The Portuguese circuit made its FIA WEC debut in 2021, hosting the six-hour race. The 499P’s development began and ended on the demanding ups and downs of the Algarve, where it took its final decisive steps in early March, with its two official crews, in the run-up to its debut at Sebring.

    Next event in
    00
    DD
    00
    HH
    00
    MM
    00
    SS
    11-12 March
    17 March
    16 April
    29 April
    10-11 June
    9 July
    10 September
    4 November
    The Autodromo Internacional Algarve takes its name from the surrounding region, the Algarve, in southern Portugal.
    Autódromo Internacional do Algarve - Portimão (Portugal)

    It opened in November 2008 for the last round of the World Superbike Championship, and covers over 300 hectares in the hills around the town of Portimão.

    The 4692-metre track consists of continuous ups and downs that make it very technical and challenging. It has many blind and banked turns. The main straight is almost a kilometre long and leads into the first two fast right turns, followed by turn 3, the first major deceleration. It is a very slow right turn, often with understeer.

    The track continues uphill towards turn 4, a quick bend to the left whose exit is hidden from view and that leads into a short return straight. At the end, a hairpin bend to the left leads to the fastest part of the track. You accelerate into turns 6 and 7, gaining a lot of speed before decelerating for turn 8, to the right, which gets tighter and tighter towards the end.

    From there it is uphill all the way to turn 9: before this fast left-hand bend that you take at full speed the track goes back downhill and then quickly climbs again, creating a powerful compression. The deceleration of turn 10, to the right, is the most challenging: at this point, the track veers downhill, so you can't see the apex.

    The circuit again heads downhill towards turn 11. The latter is not especially difficult and precedes heavy braking before turn 12. The last part of the track includes two long right-hand bends: the first is banked, while the second, the one that leads into the finishing straight, is very bumpy.

    Autódromo Internacional do Algarve - Portimão (Portugal)
    Turns
    • LocationPortimãoPortugal
    • Turns14
    • Circuit Length4 653 km

    Where is the Portimão circuit?

    The “Autòdromo Internacional do Algarve” is commonly known as the “Portimão Circuit” because it is located near the town of the same name in the Algarve region of southern Portugal.

    How many track configurations does Portimão have?

    The Portimao Circuit complex offers 64 different track configurations, whose length varies between 3.465 km and 4.684 km, allowing for a wide variety of choices.

    When did the Portimão circuit first open?

    The track in Portimão is a recent construction. The facility opened in October 2008. It hosts car and motorcycle racing. In 2020, the Formula 1 Portuguese Grand Prix was held there for the first time. Previously, single-seaters raced on other tracks.

    What are the characteristics of the Portimão circuit?

    The Portimão circuit features a series of natural ups and downs that make it rather spectacular and reminiscent of the old Nürburgring and Spa-Francorchamps. It is famous for its altitude with its challenging gradients of up to 12% downhill and 6% uphill. Fast turns increase overall downforce, while an interesting alternation of slow corners and restarts demands a lot of traction.

    499P is the name of the new Le Mans Hypercar with which Ferrari will tackle the FIA WEC in the top class from 2023, a name evoking the history of the Prancing Horse manufacturer.
    Discover more
    • Calendar
    • Circuit Info
    • Team
    • car