The 6 Hours of Portimão is an endurance race for sports cars held at Algarve International Circuit in Portugal.

Portugal 6 Hours of Portimão
FIA World Endurance Championship
VenueAlgarve International Circuit
First race2021
First FIA WEC race2021
Duration6 hours
Previous names8 Hours of Portimão
Most wins (driver)Sébastien Buemi
Brendon Hartley (2)
Most wins (team)Toyota Gazoo Racing (2)
Most wins (manufacturer)Toyota (2)

History

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The Algarve International Circuit was constructed in 2008 and has hosted European Le Mans Series races before with the 4 Hours of Portimão. In January 2021, it was announced that the track would host the opening round of the 2021 FIA World Endurance Championship, replacing the cancelled round at Sebring.[1] On 26 February 2021 it was confirmed that the race would take place behind closed doors.[2] The race was initially scheduled to take place on the 2–4 April 2021 but was later rescheduled to the second race of the season, held on the 12–13 June 2021.[3]

On 29 September 2022, the calendar of the 2023 FIA World Endurance Championship was announced on their website and YouTube channel. The calendar confirmed the return of the championship to the Algarve International Circuit, this time in a 6-hour format instead of an 8-hour format.[4]

Winners

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Year Drivers Team Car Tyre Time Laps Distance Championship Report Ref
8 hour format
2021   Sébastien Buemi
  Kazuki Nakajima
  Brendon Hartley
  Toyota Gazoo Racing Toyota GR010 Hybrid M 8:00:15.414 300 1395.630 km (867.30 miles) FIA World Endurance Championship Report [5]
6 hour format
2023   Sébastien Buemi
  Brendon Hartley
  Ryo Hirakawa
  Toyota Gazoo Racing Toyota GR010 Hybrid M 6:01:26.343 222 1032.698 km (641.69 miles) FIA World Endurance Championship Report [6]

References

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  1. ^ "Portimão to replace Sebring for 2021 FIA WEC season-opener". FIAWEC. Retrieved 22 January 2021.
  2. ^ "Portimão and Spa WEC rounds to be held behind closed doors". FIAWEC. Retrieved 26 February 2021.
  3. ^ "Portimão shifted to June; Spa-Francorchamps set to host FIA WEC season-opener". FIAWEC. Retrieved 5 March 2021.
  4. ^ "2023 Calendar Announced!". FIAWEC. Retrieved 29 September 2022.
  5. ^ "8 h Algarve 2021". Racing Sports Cars. Retrieved 10 December 2021.
  6. ^ "2023 Portimão Results - FIA World Endurance Championship". Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile. Retrieved 16 April 2023.