On Tuesday and Wednesday, the DTM will test in Portimao, where the season will start a few days later: Why they race in the dark and how the BoP has been changed
On Tuesday and Wednesday, the official DTM test in Portimao in the south of Portugal will be the final dress rehearsal for the 2022 DTM season opener, which will take place at the same venue from Friday to Sunday. It is therefore the last chance for the 30 drivers and 14 teams to get to grips with the challenging hill-and-dale track, which is new to the DTM calendar.
And superstar Sebastien Loeb doesn’t have much time to get used to the GT3 Ferrari either before things get serious for the 48-year-old.
To make sure you’re prepared, we answer the most important questions about the test and explain why the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve is run at dusk in the evening hours.
What is the schedule?
In contrast to the two Hockenheim test days, when the teams had seven hours each and the chequered flag was waved at 18:00, the second official DTM test before the start of the season in Portimao will take place on Tuesday and Wednesday in the evening hours.
There is only one session each day – and it opens at 17:00 and runs until 22:00 (23:00 CEST). As the sun currently sets at 20:17 in the south of Portugal, there will be racing first at dusk and then at dark.
Why not use daylight for the tests?
In fact, it sounds illogical at first that the DTM tests in Portimao take place in the evening, as the qualifying sessions and races will be held at the usual times next weekend. However, the planning is due to the fact that the MotoGP was still a guest at the circuit in the Algarve at the weekend and the set-up work for the DTM TV production is taking place during daylight hours.
As a result, it was decided to race in the evening, especially as the temperatures were not expected to drop below ten degrees.
How will the weather be?
The MotoGP weekend in Portimao has already given a small foretaste that the weather in Portugal on the Algarve is currently cooler and more unstable than usual. On Tuesday, changeable weather with a 90 percent chance of rain is expected, on Wednesday it should at least stay dry. On both days, the temperatures will range between eleven and 20 degrees Celsius.
For the weekend, a slight upward trend with sunshine and higher temperatures near 24 degrees is expected from the current perspective.
How can I follow the test?
The DTM umbrella organisation ITR will again provide a live timing (here’s the link), so that you can always keep an eye on the lap times. In addition, will provide a daily report and further information from on-site, should anything happen. We also have our own photographer at the track. With us, you won’t miss a thing!
Which riders and teams are taking part?
The entire DTM field will be on the grid at the mandatory test in Portugal. Among them, once again, nine-time World Rally Champion Sebastien Loeb, who will once again share the AF-Corse team’s AlphaTauri-designed Ferrari 488 GT3 Evo with Nick Cassidy. At the start of the season, Loeb will have the car all to himself, as Cassidy has to go to Monaco for Formula E.
And T3 driver Esmee Hawkey is also to sit in the Lamborghini Huracan GT3 Evo this time. The Briton dropped out of the DTM test in Hockenheim due to a positive coronata test – so the team’s explanation. Afterwards, there were rumours that she might start in the ADAC GT Masters because a sponsor had not paid, but the situation seems to have been resolved in the meantime. This is also supported by the fact that she has been nominated for the ITR press conference on Wednesday.
What does the revised Balance of Performance look like?
After a pure test classification was used in Hockenheim to get a good picture of the new BMW M4 GT3, the Audi R8 LMS with the new Evo package and the still unfamiliar Porsche 911 GT3 R, the Balance of Performance (BoP) should be very close to the final variant for the race weekend at the Portimao test.
Changes compared to Hockenheim affect the Audi, which will be 15 kilograms lighter but will get a 1.5 millimetre smaller air restrictor, the BMW, which will be five kilograms lighter, and the Ferrari. Despite the mediocre times at Hockenheim, the 488 GT3 Evo will be 15 kilograms lighter, but the boost pressure will be increased by eleven millibars. The ratings of the other cars remain untouched.
There will be no more BoP runs like in Hockenheim in Portimao, after numerous teams and drivers had not gone to the limit with a given amount of fuel in the individual runs carried out especially for the classification.
DTM-BoP official test Portimao 2022:
Mercedes-AMG GT3: 1,325 kg/2 x 36 mm (restrictor)
Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo II: 1,310 kg/2 x 38 mm (restrictor)
BMW M4 GT3: 1,310 kg/2.882 bar (boost pressure)
Ferrari 488 GT3 Evo: 1,295 kg/1.615 bar (boost pressure)
Lamborghini Huracan GT3 Evo: 1,295 kg/2 x 41 mm (restrictor)
Porsche 911 GT3 R: 1,275 kg/2 x 48 mm (restrictor)
DTM-BoP official test Hockenheim 2022:
Mercedes-AMG GT3: 1,325 kg/2 x 36 mm (restrictor)
Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo II: 1,325 kg/2 x 39.5 mm (restrictor)
BMW M4 GT3: 1,315 kg/2.882 bar (boost pressure)
Ferrari 488 GT3 Evo: 1,280 kg/1.604 bar (boost pressure)
Lamborghini Huracan GT3 Evo: 1,295 kg/2 x 41 mm (restrictor)
Porsche 911 GT3 R: 1.275 kg/2 x 48 mm (restrictor)