After a long journey through Asia and Oceania, the FIM MotoGP World Championship heads into its penultimate stop of the season at the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve. Now positioned towards the end of the calendar, this Portuguese round takes place one week before the Valencia finale. Portimão remains a unique event in the season schedule: a highly technical and hilly circuit, spectacular by nature, where tyres are tested across every dimension of riding performance.
The 2024 edition validated the suitability of the tyre allocation proposed by Michelin for this demanding circuit. The data collected, combined with feedback from teams and riders, led Michelin Motorsport to renew the allocation unchanged for 2025. This consistent choice stems from the strong balance achieved last year between performance and stability on a surface that has remained uniform since its 2020 resurfacing, despite grip levels occasionally influenced by coastal humidity.
Portimão presents a full range of challenges: braking while leaned over downhill into Turn 1, long high-load corners, successive compressions and crests, and critical traction when accelerating out of off-camber curves. The chosen allocation — three symmetrical front compounds (Soft, Medium, Hard) and two rear options, including an asymmetrical Soft with a reinforced right shoulder — responds precisely to these demands.
In 2024, most riders opted for a Hard front tyre paired with a Soft rear for the Tissot Sprint, then a Hard front and Medium rear for the main race. This combination, especially appreciated for its consistency and the confidence it provides in the most critical phases, remains a benchmark for 2025.
Despite taking place in November this year, Michelin expects weather conditions similar to previous editions: sometimes cool mornings and milder afternoons, with potential humidity carried by Atlantic winds. The MICHELIN Power Rain range will naturally be available should weather conditions change.
Piero Taramasso, Two-Wheel Motorsport Manager, Michelin Motorsport
"We come to Portimão with great confidence and high motivation. It is the penultimate round of the season, just before the Valencia finale and, even if the 2025 titles have already been decided, our focus remains absolute. Portimão is a spectacular, demanding circuit, highly appreciated by riders, but it poses a real technical challenge for tyres. It has everything: heavy downhill braking, fast flowing corners, blind acceleration zones, and sections where traction is critical. You need a tyre that can do everything and do it consistently, without compromise.
Last year, the allocation we proposed fulfilled its mission perfectly, both in the Tissot Sprint and in the long race. Riders appreciated the confidence offered in the most critical phases, as well as the tyre's consistent behaviour from the first to the last lap. We therefore chose to carry over exactly the same tyre combination for 2025. Even though the race takes place in autumn this time, our analysis indicates conditions should remain very close to those seen in spring.
The MotoE finale will also give us another opportunity to demonstrate that, thanks to Michelin technology, performance and environmental responsibility can go hand in hand. We will continue our sustainable innovation strategy in other racing categories once this championship comes to an end."
FIM MotoE World Championship: an electrifying finale showcasing sustainable innovation
The Qatar Airways Grand Prix of Portugal will also host the final two races of the FIM MotoE season, which will decide the world titles. The fully electric Ducati machines will once again run on dedicated MICHELIN Power tyres, which in 2025 will reach a new milestone with 56% renewable and recycled materials at the front and 58% at the rear.
On the sporting front, suspense remains high ahead of the final showdown: Zaccone arrives leading the championship, but Casadei and Ferrari still have a chance to claim the crown.
Two seven-lap races will deliver a thrilling finish to a season marked by continuous technical progress and top-level competition.
MotoGP Schedule
The weekend will begin for the premier class on Friday morning, with an opening Free Practice session scheduled from 10:45 to 11:30. Teams will then return to the track late in the afternoon, from 15:00 to 16:00, for the Practice session, which is crucial as it determines direct access to Q2.
Saturday will start at 10:10 with a 30-minute Free Practice session to finalize the last technical adjustments before Qualifying. Q1 will run from 10:50 to 11:05 and will allow the two fastest riders to join the top ten from Practice in Q2, scheduled from 11:15 to 11:30. The afternoon will be dedicated to the Tissot Sprint, which will start at 15:00 and run over twelve laps.
On Sunday, a short ten-minute warm-up session will take place at 09:40 to prepare for the Grand Prix. The start of the main race is set for 13:00, over a distance of twenty-five laps.
MotoE Schedule
MotoE will take to the track first thing on Friday morning, with an opening Free Practice session from 08:30 to 08:45. Riders will return for Practice at 12:35, running until 12:50. Late afternoon will be reserved for Qualifying: a first session (Q1) will take place from 17:00 to 17:10, immediately followed by Q2 from 17:20 to 17:30 to set the starting grid.
On Saturday, MotoE will contest its final two races of the season. The first will start at 12:15 over seven laps. The second race will take place late in the afternoon, at 16:10, also over seven laps, and will bring the FIM MotoE World Championship to its final conclusion.
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