The Portimão racetrack in the Algarve, Portugal, rightfully deserves the reputation of being a small Nürburgring – or better yet, a rollercoaster. With its blind corners, demanding direction changes, and challenging corner combinations, it requires precision, vehicle control, and confidence. Even the smallest mistakes can lead to significant time losses.

It was my first time on this track, so I prepared intensively with videos and simulation training. It paid off: I quickly found my rhythm, and the performance was solid right from the start. The basic setup was also solid. However, there was a constant problem with the left rear tire: over the entire weekend, five tires were destroyed. The rubber completely separated from the fabric – and to this day, there is no explanation for it.

In qualifying, however, I had to concede to Tomas Guedes. On his home track and with new tires, he was hard to beat, so I settled for P2.

The first race was uneventful. Guedes pulled away early, and I couldn’t keep up with his pace on this demanding track. However, the second race was much more exciting. Jens Richter put me under a lot of pressure. After a good start, I positioned myself behind Guedes again, but was chased by Richter for 11 laps and defended my second place fiercely over this distance.

In lap 11, things got interesting: Guedes was struggling with a gearbox failure and had to retire his car, handing me the lead. With a lot of confidence, I continued my race in P1, but shortly after, I made a mistake: in the hairpin of T5, I most likely shifted incorrectly, which Richter immediately took advantage of. He won the race, while the victory slipped just out of my hands, and I finished in P2 again. A shame – it was so close this time!

I would like to sincerely thank Yannick Mettler for his support as my coach and the AMAG First Racing Team!

Video to the event and qualifying: Portimao 2024