Portimão hosts European Le Mans Series 2025

The 2025 European Le Mans Series (ELMS) reaches its climax at the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve in Portimão , with a grid of 44 cars, 129 drivers, and 31 teams from 27 countries ready to compete for titles in the LMP2, LMP2 Pro/Am, LMP3, and LMGT3 categories. The race takes place on Saturday, October 18, starting at 3:30 p.m., and will feature four Portuguese drivers and one local team.

In the LMP2 class, the overall title battle involves the No. 48 VDS Panis Racing (Oliver Gray, Charles Milesi, Esteban Masson), the No. 18 IDEC Sport (Jamie Chadwick, Mathys Jaubert, Daniel Juncadella) and the No. 43 Inter Europol Competition (Jakub Smiechowski, Tom Dillmann, Nick Yelloly), separated by just 7 points. In addition to the title, the top two teams will secure automatic invitations to the 2026 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Beyond the title race, there are still honors to be won, with the three Portuguese drivers seeking a home victory to end the season on a high note. 2020 ELMS champion Filipe Albuquerque has a 100% podium record in his home race and will be looking for another with his teammates, Cem Bölükbaşı and Ferdinand Habsburg, in the No. 24 Nielsen Racing Oreca.

Last year's 4 Hours of Portimão LMP3 winner, Manuel Espírito Santo, has moved up to the LMP2 category this year with CLX Motorsport, partnering Enzo Fittipaldi in the No. 47 Oreca-Gibson, the only two drivers on the grid. The Portuguese-Brazilian duo hopes to repeat their podium performance at Le Castellet. Pedro Perino is the third Portuguese driver on the LMP2 grid, joining Luca Ghiotto and Jean Baptiste Simmenauer in the No. 34 Oreca for Inter Europol Competition.

The Portuguese Algarve Pro Racing team will be on the grid, with Matthias Kaiser, Lorenzo Fluxa, and Théo Pourchaire racing for the former ELMS LMP2 Team champions. The LMP2 grid is completed by Iron Lynx – Proton, Vector Sport, United Autosports, the second car from IDEC SPORT, Duqueine Team, and CLX-Pure Rxcing.

The battle for the LMP2 Pro/Am title will be a three-way battle between championship leaders Kriton Lentoudis, Alex Quinn, and Olli Caldwell in the No. 20 Algarve Pro Racing car, and the No. 99 AO by TF team of PJ Hyett, Dane Cameron, and Louis Delétraz, who will be looking to clinch their fourth ELMS title in five years in Portugal. The two cars are separated by just 9 points, so everything is on the line in Portugal, with the winning team receiving an automatic seat in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The contenders are the reigning champions, François Perrodo, Alessio Rovera, and Matthieu Vaxiviere in the No. 83 AF Corse Oreca car, but with a 25-point gap between them and the APR Oreca, they will have to win the race from pole position and hope that their two rivals encounter any issues during the race.

The rest of the eight-man grid is led by TDS Racing, number 29, in 4th place overall, with two podiums for Rodrigo Sales, Mathias Beche, and Clément Novalak. Oliver Jarvis, Marino Sato, and Daniel Schneider's best result is a second place at Spa in August. The LMP2 Pro/Am grid also features the colors of Proton Competition, Nielsen Racing, and DKR Engineering.

In LMP3, Silverstone champions Theodor Jensen, Paul Lanchère, and Adrien Closmenil lead the No. 17 CLX Motorsport car and are seeking their fifth victory of the year, facing nine competitors, including the No. 68 M Racing and the No. 88 Inter Europol Competition, who are tied in the standings. The return of Miguel Cristóvão, the 2024 winner, alongside Fabien Michal and Ian Aguilera, promises to add excitement to the 10-car grid.

The 10-car grid is completed by DKR Engineering, Spa-Francorchamps race winner Team Virage, last year's champions WTM by Rinaldi Racing, RLR MSport, Racing Spirit of Léman and Ultimate.

The 13-car LMGT3 grid has been extremely competitive this season, with half the grid still mathematically capable of securing the 2025 ELMS class title and an automatic invitation to the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

After becoming the first team to win twice this season, Lilou Wadoux, Custodio Toledo and Riccardo Agostini lead the title race by 12 points in the No. 50 Richard Mille AF Corse Ferrari 296 LMGT3 over Round 4 winners Clément Mateu, Erwan Bastard and Valentin Hasse Clot in the No. 59 Racing Spirit of Léman Aston Martin Vantage.

The No. 82 TF Sport Corvette, winner of the 4 Hours of Imola, is in third place, with Hiroshi Koizumi, Rui Andrade, and Charlie Eastwood just 14 points behind the leading Ferrari in third place. The winners of the first round, Célia Martin, Sarah Bovy, and Michelle Gatting, are in fourth place in the No. 85 Porsche Iron Dames, 19 points behind the leaders, and will have to give everything to win in Portugal.

Three years ago, Bovy and Gatting claimed their first ELMS class victory in Portimão, racing alongside their Iron Dames teammate, Doriane Pin. The No. 57 Kessel Racing team is tied with the Iron Dames on 47 points, with the No. 55 Spirit of Race and the No. 86 GR Racing Ferrari the last two contenders for the 2025 ELMS title.

The rest of the grid will be looking to end the season on a high, with the 13-car grid being completed by AF Corse, Iron Lynx, Proton Competition, Kessel Racing's second Ferrari, JMW Motorsport and United Autosports.

Tickets for the 4 Hours of Portimão are still on sale on the official website of the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve: www.autodromodoalgarve.com .