Algarve International Circuit · Portimão
66 laps · 4.653 km per lap · Pirelli C2 Hard / C3 Medium / C4 Soft
The Algarve International Circuit is a bonus circuit not on the 2026 calendar, last hosting F1 in 2021. Its defining feature is dramatic elevation change — a rarity among modern purpose-built circuits — with blind crests and compressions that make it a genuine test of driver commitment, often compared to Circuit of the Americas for its rollercoaster character.
Turn 1 is a heavy-braking downhill compression that catches the car just as it's shedding speed, while the climb to Turn 3-6 crests the lap's highest point with a blind apex taken in a high gear — one of the more demanding sequences on any circuit PITWALL models.
Degradation runs close to average, with the undulating surface adding real physical stress to the car and tyres beyond what a flat circuit of similar length would produce.
This guide uses the C2 Hard, C3 Medium and C4 Soft, matching the real compound nomination from Portimão's 2020 and 2021 Grands Prix.
Durable enough to anchor a one-stop race, though the elevation changes and compressions add real physical load beyond what the lap distance alone suggests.
A common starting tyre and the anchor of two-stop plans, offering a clear pace advantage over the Hard while managing a competitive stint length.
Q3 runners start on the Soft under the usual rules. Its shorter life is a manageable factor, though the blind, high-commitment corners make precision as important as tyre choice.
Portimão's dramatic elevation change means the effective racing line at high speed doesn't always match what a flat-track intuition would suggest — the compressions at Turn 1 and the blind crest at Turn 3-6 both demand the driver commit before they can fully see the corner's exit.
This gives the circuit a moderate overtaking score built more around braking-zone precision than pure straight-line speed — a driver who nails the downhill compression into Turn 1 can carry a genuine advantage into the corners that follow.
The standard plan: start on the Medium, pit once for the Hard, and manage the physical demands of the elevation changes through both stints.
A pace-focused alternative for a driver who needs to make up ground, using consistently fresher tyres to attack through the demanding Turn 1 and Turn 3-6 sequences.
Given how blind several of Portimão's key corners are, drivers often prioritise a repeatable, precise line over an aggressive one, since a small error at the crest or compression can cost far more time than it would at a flatter circuit.
The main straight is Portimão's clearest deployment zone, and a well-charged battery there helps offset the speed lost climbing to the lap's highest point shortly after.
The corners around the elevation changes offer moderate harvesting opportunity, though the blind nature of several corners means energy management here has to be planned around commitment points rather than visible braking references.
A one-stop is 4.0 s faster than the best two-stop in clean air.
Close call — race events can easily swing it.
One-stop pit window: lap 25–35 of 66
Single car, no traffic, track position or Safety Car — so PITWALL shows stop count and timing but no compound order: in 2026 the model prefers finishing on softs, while teams mostly ran medium → hard. Model circuit-1. How the model is calibrated →
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