Algarve FIA F4 iRacing Track Guide: Official Baseline Data

This guide is built from the exact Valor Official Baseline for Algarve — Grand Prix + FIA F4. It is not a generic track description and it is not reconstructed from internet braking markers. The numbers below come from the canonical baseline CSV, the reviewed Valor corner map and the corresponding turn profiles in the September 28 Valor data pack. The trace contains 6,270 recorded telemetry samples covering speed, brake, throttle, steering, gear, RPM and position. Turn numbering follows Valor's reviewed map for this exact layout. Baseline speed is converted from meters per second to mph, and brake/throttle values are the recorded 0–100% channels. Conditions, setup, fuel, tires and driving line can move the exact targets, so use the baseline as a measured reference rather than a rigid prescription.

Baseline snapshot

• Mapped turns: 15

• Meaningful brake events: 7 of 15 turns

• No-brake / flow sections: 8

• Peak speed in the reference trace: about 145.9 mph

• Telemetry-integrated reference time: approximately 1:44.47

• Average turn-profile confidence: 100.0/100

• Heaviest brake zones: Turn 1 89.0%, Turn 5 87.9%, Turn 13 80.8%

• Largest recorded speed reduction: Turn 5, roughly 127.1 → 44.8 mph

• Slowest mapped minimum: Turn 5 at about 44.8 mph in gear 2

The integrated time is calculated from the reference trace's recorded position and speed because the distributed baseline CSV does not include the simulator's lap-clock channel. Treat it as a telemetry-derived reference time rather than an official iRacing timing result.

What the baseline says about Algarve in the F4

Algarve asks for two very different kinds of commitment. Turn 1 arrives at the highest speed in the mapped lap — about 146 mph — and still carries roughly 95 mph at minimum speed despite an 89% brake peak. Turn 5 is the opposite: the reference drops from about 127 mph to 44.8 mph, the largest speed reduction and slowest mapped minimum of the lap. Those corners should not feel like the same braking problem even though both use very high peak pressure.

The rest of the lap is a repeated alternation between flow and decisive deceleration. Turns 2, 4, 6, 7, 9, 11, 12 and 15 show no meaningful brake event, while Turns 8, 10 and 13 require substantial braking. Turn 14 is especially useful as a diagnostic corner because the reference uses only 32.1% brake, releases roughly 57 m before minimum speed and waits about 13 m after minimum speed for full throttle. If you are slow there, the answer is more likely to be balance, line or timing than simply adding brake pressure.

Turn-by-turn baseline guide

Turn 1 — right. This is a major braking zone. The baseline enters the braking event at roughly 145.9 mph, peaks at 89.0% brake, reaches about 95.1 mph in gear 4, and exits the mapped segment around 95.1 mph. Brake release is complete roughly 41 m before minimum speed, so most of the heavy deceleration is finished before the slowest point and the remaining job is rotation and balance. The mapped profile does not contain a definitive full-throttle point inside this corner boundary, so use the following trace to judge the exit rather than forcing an artificial throttle target.

Turn 2 — right. The reference uses no meaningful brake input here. It carries about 95.3 mph into the mapped section, reaches about 95.3 mph in gear 4, and exits around 106.2 mph. Treat this as a momentum and positioning corner: if your trace shows a clear brake spike, first inspect line, steering load, and whether the previous corner left the car compromised before deciding you need more deceleration.

Turn 3 — right. This is a firm braking zone. The baseline enters the braking event at roughly 109.4 mph, peaks at 79.5% brake, reaches about 51.0 mph in gear 2, and exits the mapped segment around 51.0 mph. Brake release is complete roughly 28 m before minimum speed, so most of the heavy deceleration is finished before the slowest point and the remaining job is rotation and balance. The mapped profile does not contain a definitive full-throttle point inside this corner boundary, so use the following trace to judge the exit rather than forcing an artificial throttle target.

Turn 4 — left. The reference uses no meaningful brake input here. It carries about 69.5 mph into the mapped section, reaches about 69.5 mph in gear 2, and exits around 95.1 mph. Treat this as a momentum and positioning corner: if your trace shows a clear brake spike, first inspect line, steering load, and whether the previous corner left the car compromised before deciding you need more deceleration.

Turn 5 — left. This is a major braking zone. The baseline enters the braking event at roughly 127.1 mph, peaks at 87.9% brake, reaches about 44.8 mph in gear 2, and exits the mapped segment around 62.8 mph. Brake release is complete roughly 36 m before minimum speed, so most of the heavy deceleration is finished before the slowest point and the remaining job is rotation and balance. Full throttle follows almost immediately, about 2 m after minimum speed.

Turn 6 — left. The reference uses no meaningful brake input here. It carries about 90.6 mph into the mapped section, reaches about 90.6 mph in gear 4, and exits around 105.1 mph. Treat this as a momentum and positioning corner: if your trace shows a clear brake spike, first inspect line, steering load, and whether the previous corner left the car compromised before deciding you need more deceleration.

Turn 7 — right. The reference uses no meaningful brake input here. It carries about 110.4 mph into the mapped section, reaches about 108.5 mph in gear 5, and exits around 108.9 mph. Treat this as a momentum and positioning corner: if your trace shows a clear brake spike, first inspect line, steering load, and whether the previous corner left the car compromised before deciding you need more deceleration.

Turn 8 — right. This is a firm braking zone. The baseline enters the braking event at roughly 110.0 mph, peaks at 65.9% brake, reaches about 61.6 mph in gear 3, and exits the mapped segment around 75.8 mph. Brake release is complete roughly 37 m before minimum speed, so most of the heavy deceleration is finished before the slowest point and the remaining job is rotation and balance. Full throttle follows almost immediately, about 1 m after minimum speed.

Turn 9 — left. The reference uses no meaningful brake input here. It carries about 110.0 mph into the mapped section, reaches about 110.0 mph in gear 5, and exits around 117.9 mph. Treat this as a momentum and positioning corner: if your trace shows a clear brake spike, first inspect line, steering load, and whether the previous corner left the car compromised before deciding you need more deceleration.

Turn 10 — right. This is a firm braking zone. The baseline enters the braking event at roughly 120.7 mph, peaks at 68.2% brake, reaches about 78.7 mph in gear 3, and exits the mapped segment around 78.7 mph. Brake release finishes only about 8 m before minimum speed, so the reference carries the deceleration deep into the corner before asking the car to rotate. The mapped profile does not contain a definitive full-throttle point inside this corner boundary, so use the following trace to judge the exit rather than forcing an artificial throttle target.

Turn 11 — right. The reference uses no meaningful brake input here. It carries about 68.7 mph into the mapped section, reaches about 68.7 mph in gear 3, and exits around 86.4 mph. Treat this as a momentum and positioning corner: if your trace shows a clear brake spike, first inspect line, steering load, and whether the previous corner left the car compromised before deciding you need more deceleration.

Turn 12 — left. The reference uses no meaningful brake input here. It carries about 95.6 mph into the mapped section, reaches about 95.6 mph in gear 4, and exits around 108.3 mph. Treat this as a momentum and positioning corner: if your trace shows a clear brake spike, first inspect line, steering load, and whether the previous corner left the car compromised before deciding you need more deceleration.

Turn 13 — left. This is a major braking zone. The baseline enters the braking event at roughly 112.5 mph, peaks at 80.8% brake, reaches about 53.8 mph in gear 3, and exits the mapped segment around 63.4 mph. Brake release is complete roughly 44 m before minimum speed, so most of the heavy deceleration is finished before the slowest point and the remaining job is rotation and balance. Full throttle is already present by the minimum-speed point, which makes line quality and release timing more important than waiting for a late power application.

Turn 14 — right. This is a speed-management braking zone. The baseline enters the braking event at roughly 88.2 mph, peaks at 32.1% brake, reaches about 67.1 mph in gear 3, and exits the mapped segment around 97.9 mph. Brake release is complete roughly 57 m before minimum speed, so most of the heavy deceleration is finished before the slowest point and the remaining job is rotation and balance. Full throttle arrives about 13 m after minimum speed, so getting the car pointed before committing to power is part of the reference shape.

Turn 15 — right. The reference uses no meaningful brake input here. It carries about 108.6 mph into the mapped section, reaches about 108.6 mph in gear 5, and exits around 128.5 mph. Treat this as a momentum and positioning corner: if your trace shows a clear brake spike, first inspect line, steering load, and whether the previous corner left the car compromised before deciding you need more deceleration.

How to use this guide in Valor

Use Turn 1 and Turn 5 as contrasting anchors. At Turn 1, prioritize controlled deceleration and carrying the correct minimum speed; at Turn 5, compare the full braking shape and whether the car is ready to accept throttle immediately after the slow point. That contrast helps Valor separate over-slowing from a genuine braking-point problem.

Next, look at Turn 13 and Turn 14 together. Turn 13 is a heavy 80.8% event down to about 54 mph, followed by a much lighter Turn 14. If the second corner is poor, inspect whether the first corner left the car on the wrong line or with the wrong balance before changing Turn 14 in isolation.

Data basis: Valor Baseline Data Pack 2026.09.28.1, exact combo algarvegp_grandprix_formulair04. Values are derived from the supplied baseline telemetry, reviewed corner map and turn-profile data.