Circuito do Estoril

Circuito do Estoril
Autódromo Fernanda Pires da Silva

Address: Autódromo Fernanda Pires da Silva Circuit d'Estoril, 2765-030 Estoril
Estoril , Portugal
Route type:	permanent race track
Formula 1 venue :	1984-1996
Track layout
Route data
Important events:	MotoGP , GT Championship , A1 Grand Prix , WTCC
Route length:	4,360  km (2.71  mi )
Curves:	13
Records
Track record: (Formula 1)	1:11:494 min. ( Damon Hill , Williams , 1993 )
http://www.circuito-estoril.pt

Coordinates: 38 ° 45 ′ 7 "  N , 9 ° 23 ′ 45.8"  W.

The Autódromo do Estoril (official name Autódromo Fernanda Pires da Silva ) is a motorsport race track near the Portuguese city ​​of Estoril , about 30 km west of Lisbon . Until the opening of the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve, it was the most important and longest race track in Portugal.

From 1984 bis 1996 was here Grand Prix of Portugal of Formula 1 is discharged. The motorcycle world championship guest appearance with the Grand Prix of Portugal to this day on this course, as well as the FIA - World Touring Car Championship (WTCC).

Route description

The Circuito do Estoril is located in a hilly area, but there are only significant inclines and slopes on the west side opposite the start-finish straight. Due to the mild climate, the track was also used as a test track in the winter months when the Portuguese Grand Prix was on the Formula 1 racing calendar, similar to the courses in Le Castellet or currently Barcelona .

Like most other racetracks, the track is driven clockwise. In the original version, the long start-finish straight was followed by two elongated and correspondingly fast right-hand bends, interrupted by a short straight in between. After another short straight, a sequence of two narrower hairpin bends leads into the infield, the Curva VIP is followed by the back straight with a slight bend, which ends at the Parabolica Interior - one of the few curves of this type that leads around to the left. Another straight line leads to the hairpin bend in Orelha , after which the Esses section follows in the original course , in which two bends to the right finally lead into a sharp left bend. The return to the start-finish straight follows with the second parabolic. Today this curve is named after Ayrton Senna , who celebrated his first Grand Prix victory here in 1985 .

The Autódromo do Estoril has since been rebuilt several times. The first change took place during the Formula 1 World Championship in 1994 . After a series of serious accidents in the first half of the season, in an effort to reduce the racing speed and defuse potentially dangerous spots, the very slowly driven loop Gancho was inserted in front of the combination of curves in Esses , with which the speed was reduced when entering Esses . As a result, the length of the track increased from 4,349 m to 4,360 m; Formula 1 stayed here in this configuration until 1996.

Another renovation took place in 1997 and affected the area after the start-finish straight. Instead of the long right-hand curves, the new curve 1 is significantly more pointed, narrower and slower, while the following curve 2 now consists of a flatter, but also very sudden and therefore narrower bend.

history

The racetrack was built in 1972 on a rocky plateau. Characteristic features are two switchbacks, significant differences in altitude along the route and an above-average long home straight.

In the first few years only local races were held. Only after serious modernization measures did international motorsport find its way onto the track in 1984. Formula 1 stopped in Estoril until 1996. Originally, Formula 1 was also supposed to make a guest appearance here in 1997 and contest its last race of the season, but due to the lack of conversion work, it was decided during the season to hold the race under the name of the European Grand Prix on the Spanish Circuito de Jerez . To this day u. a. Race of the FIA GT Championship held here.

In July 2015, the ruling PSD / CDS coalition of the Cascais city ​​administration decided against the votes of the opposition to buy the racetrack for 4.921 million euros. In cooperation with the motorsport associations Federação Portuguesa de Automobilismo e Karting (FPAK, Automobilsport) and Federação Motociclismo Portugal (FMP, Motorcycle Racing ), karting and other races are to take place here, as well as learning courses, training and further education facilities, a research center for the automotive industry, and a Museum and training center are built. The opposition of the PS , CDU and Ser Cascais citizens' list , on the other hand, speaks of unrealistic plans and expected cost explosions.

statistics

All winners of Formula 1 races in Estoril

No.	year	driver	constructor	engine	tires	time	Route length	Round	Ø pace	date	GP of
1	1984	Alain Prost	McLaren	Porsche ( TAG )	M.	1: 41: 11.753 h	4,350 km	70	180.541 km / h	Oct 21	Portugal
2	1985	Ayrton Senna	lotus	Renault	G	2:00: 28.006 h	4,350 km	67	145.160 km / h	Apr 21
3	1986	Nigel Mansell	Williams	Honda	G	1: 37: 21,900 h	4,350 km	70	187.644 km / h	21 Sep
4th	1987	Alain Prost	McLaren	Porsche ( TAG )	G	1: 37: 03.906 h	4,350 km	70	188.224 km / h	Sep 20
5	1988	Alain Prost	McLaren	Honda	G	1: 37: 40.958 h	4,350 km	70	187.034 km / h	25 Sep
6th	1989	Gerhard Berger	Ferrari	Ferrari	G	1: 36: 48.546 h	4,350 km	71	191.418 km / h	Sep 24
7th	1990	Nigel Mansell	Ferrari	Ferrari	G	1: 22: 11.014 h	4,350 km	61	193.725 km / h	23 Sep
8th	1991	Riccardo Patrese	Williams	Renault	G	1: 35: 42.304 h	4,350 km	71	193.626 km / h	22 Sep
9	1992	Nigel Mansell	Williams	Renault	G	1: 34: 46.659 h	4,350 km	71	195.521 km / h	27 Sep
10	1993	Michael sSchumacher	Benetton	ford	G	1: 32: 46.309 h	4,350 km	71	199.748 km / h	26 Sep
11	1994	Damon Hill	Williams	Renault	G	1: 41: 10.165 h	4,360 km	71	183.589 km / h	25 Sep
12	1995	David Coulthard	Williams	Renault	G	1: 41: 52.145 h	4,360 km	71	182.328 km / h	Sep 24
13	1996	Jacques Villeneuve	Williams	Renault	G	1: 40: 22.915 h	4,360 km	70	182.423 km / h	22 Sep

Record winner
Drivers: Nigel Mansell / Alain Prost (3 each) • Driver nations: Great Britain (5) • Constructors: Williams (6) • Engine manufacturers: Renault (6) • Tire manufacturers: Goodyear (12)

Web links

Commons : Circuito do Estoril  - collection of images, videos and audio files

• Official website

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Câmara de Cascais aprova compra do Autódromo do Estoril por 4.9 milhões de euros - "Cascais City Council decides to buy the Autódromo from Estoril for 4.9 million euros" , article dated July 20, 2015 on the website of the public legal television broadcaster RTP , accessed September 4, 2015