THE Circuit Algarve, known casually as Portimao, is the newest venue to makes its 2020 debut, as Formula 1 heads to Portugal for the first time since the 1996 Grand Prix around the famous Estoril circuit.
Portimao is well known to World SBK (Superbike) fans, having been on the championship calendar since 2008. Designed by Ricardo Pina, the track has hosted several motorsport series including A1 GP, the Le Mans Series, FIA GT and World Touring Car Championship, and an F1 winter test, back in 2009.
At 4.7km in length the undulating nature of the Portuguese circuit is comparable to Belgium’s Spa-Franchorchamps and Austin’s Circuit of the Americas. The circuit width should present the opportunity for some overtaking, but is unlikely to be a race where viewers are overwhelmed by the number of position changes.
The lap will be a quick one due to the flowing nature of the layout and the slipstreaming effect should play a fairly big role too. The downhill braking in some sections and blind entry in others should be a test for drivers. There is little that suggests anything other than a Mercedes win this weekend. So dominant has the team been in 2020 that development has ceased on the W11 in favour of focusing their attention on 2021.
A mammoth 180 point lead over Red Bull in the constructor’s standings has made Mercedes’ decision to shift its focus to next year’s car all the more obvious and comfortable.
There are some reliability concerns, however, given Valtteri Bottas’s retirement at the Nurburgring being related to the power unit. Nevertheless, with a 69-point lead over Bottas, it is rather a case of ‘when’ and not ‘if’ Lewis Hamilton will wrap up title number seven.
The race towards the driver’s title may be over, bar the shouting, but the midfield battle is as tight as it has been at any point in 2020. A scant 11 points is all that covers five drivers from Sergio Perez (68) in fifth through to Lance Stroll (57) in ninth.
Add into the mix Pierre Gasly and Carlos Sainz, in 10th and 11th, only a handful of points adrift and it’s clear that the midfield is by far the most intriguing on-track battle.
The midfield has already produced numerous scintillating dices and given how close it is, on pace, between the likes of Racing Point, McLaren, and Alpha Tauri it promises to be the most exhilarating watching too.
