The European Le Mans Series (ELMS) has revised its 2027 calendar, moving the season-ending 4 Hours of Portimão back by two weeks following an update to the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve’s event schedule.
The Portuguese round will now take place from October 14-16, with the four-hour race scheduled for Saturday, October 16. Organisers had initially planned to hold the finale from September 30 to October 2, with the race taking place on October 2. The remaining five events on the 2027 calendar remain unchanged.
The adjustment creates a six-week gap between the penultimate round at Silverstone and the Portimão finale, rather than the four-week interval originally planned. However, the championship will retain the same six circuits announced earlier this year, with Barcelona, Le Castellet, Imola, Spa-Francorchamps, Silverstone and Portimão forming the 2027 schedule.
Portimão finale moves to October 16
ELMS organisers confirmed the change on September 22, explaining that an update to the circuit’s event calendar prompted the decision. Moving the event two weeks later will allow organisers to provide what they described as the best possible conditions for staging the 2027 season finale.
Portimão retains its established position as the final stop on the ELMS calendar despite the revised date. The Portuguese circuit will host the championship decider for the 11th time, continuing its long association with the closing stages of the European endurance season.
The change also gives teams more time to prepare after the Goodyear 4 Hours of Silverstone, which remains scheduled for September 3-5. Under the original 2027 calendar, teams faced less than one month between the British round and the trip to Portugal. The revised schedule instead leaves almost six weeks between the two race weekends.
Other five ELMS rounds remain unchanged
The Portimão revision does not affect the remainder of the 2027 season, meaning Barcelona will still host both the official Prologue and opening race in March.
Teams will begin their preparations at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya with the Prologue on March 8 and 9 before returning later that week for the opening race meeting from March 12-14. The earlier Barcelona date represents one of the most significant changes compared with 2026, with the championship beginning around four weeks earlier than it did this season.
Circuit Paul Ricard will then stage the 4 Hours of Le Castellet from April 30-May 2. Competitors will face a notable circuit configuration change in France, with organisers removing the chicane from the Mistral Straight and restoring the complete 1.8-kilometre section for the first time since 2024.
The championship will pause through the 24 Hours of Le Mans before returning at Imola from July 2-4. Spa-Francorchamps follows from August 20-22, when the Belgian circuit will celebrate its 10th year hosting ELMS competition.
Silverstone then hosts the penultimate round from September 3-5. The Goodyear 4 Hours of Silverstone will mark the championship’s third visit to the British circuit and comes during a season in which Silverstone will also return to the FIA World Endurance Championship calendar.
Revised 2027 ELMS calendar
The Prologue remains separate from the six championship rounds, with the revised schedule now reading:
- March 8-9 — Prologue — Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya
- March 12-14 — 4 Hours of Barcelona — Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya
- April 30-May 2 — 4 Hours of Le Castellet — Circuit Paul Ricard
- July 2-4 — 4 Hours of Imola — Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari
- August 20-22 — 4 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps — Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps
- September 3-5 — Goodyear 4 Hours of Silverstone — Silverstone Circuit
- October 14-16 — 4 Hours of Portimão — Autódromo Internacional do Algarve
The change therefore affects only the final event. ELMS will continue with the six-round format and the same collection of venues that formed the basis of its original 2027 announcement.
Portimão continues as ELMS championship decider
The revised date does not change Portimão’s importance within the championship. Its elevation changes, blind crests and technical final sector have regularly provided a demanding conclusion to the season, while its position as the finale has made it the venue for numerous championship deciders.
The circuit will also host the end of the current campaign before attention shifts fully towards 2027. The 2026 4 Hours of Portimão takes place from October 9-11, bringing a season that has visited Barcelona, Le Castellet, Imola, Spa-Francorchamps and Silverstone to its conclusion.
For 2027, the ELMS has largely opted for continuity. The championship retains all six venues while moving Barcelona considerably earlier in the year and restoring the complete Mistral Straight at Paul Ricard. The latest revision now gives teams an additional two weeks between Silverstone and the championship-deciding trip to Portugal.
Portimão will therefore remain the final destination of the 2027 ELMS season, but teams will have until October 16 to settle the Drivers’ and Teams’ Championship battles.
