Several European Le Mans Series teams will take their regular programmes to the 2026 24 Hours of Le Mans, although the longer race has prompted a series of driver and car-number changes.
Defending LMP2 winners Inter Europol Competition will retain its successful #43 crew, while reigning LMP2 Pro/Am winners AO by TF will return with its championship-winning trio. Forestier Racing by Panis will also bring its unchanged ELMS line-up to Le Mans after securing the 2025 overall title.
Elsewhere, teams have added third drivers, reorganised their usual crews or replaced competitors with Hypercar commitments. Meanwhile, several familiar ELMS LMGT3 entries will also join the grid for the French endurance classic.
Inter Europol reunites Le Mans-winning trio
Jakub Śmiechowski, Tom Dillmann and Nick Yelloly will defend their LMP2 victory in the #43 Inter Europol Competition Oreca-Gibson.
The trio won the class at Le Mans in 2025 before finishing second in the ELMS championship. Therefore, Inter Europol will approach its title defence with complete continuity and an established race-winning partnership.
The team’s second entry will require an additional driver because Bijoy Garg and Reshad De Gerus usually contest the ELMS with a two-driver crew. Consequently, Swiss racer Nico Müller will join them in the #34 Oreca for the 24-hour race.
Müller brings extensive prototype and international endurance racing experience to the programme. Moreover, his addition gives Inter Europol another highly experienced driver as the team expands from its regular four-hour format to the demands of Le Mans.
AO by TF returns with Pro/Am champions
PJ Hyett, Dane Cameron and Louis Delétraz will return in the #99 AO by TF Oreca, which carries the popular ‘Spike the Dragon’ livery.
The trio enters Le Mans as the defending LMP2 Pro/Am winner and reigning ELMS class champion. Additionally, Hyett, Cameron and Delétraz have already established a successful working relationship across both European and international competition.
Their return creates another clear title-defence storyline in LMP2. While Inter Europol targets consecutive overall class victories, AO by TF will aim to retain its position at the head of the Pro/Am field.
Forestier Racing retains championship-winning crew
Forestier Racing by Panis will field Esteban Masson, Oliver Gray and Louis Rousset in the #29 Oreca-Gibson.
The unchanged trio enters Le Mans as the reigning ELMS LMP2 champion after also winning the 4 Hours of Barcelona. Therefore, the team carries both championship momentum and continuity into the 24-hour event.
Masson, Gray and Rousset have already demonstrated their ability to combine speed with consistency. However, Le Mans will introduce additional challenges through its longer stints, night running and increased traffic.
Nevertheless, their established partnership should allow Forestier Racing to focus immediately on performance rather than adapting to a revised driver combination.
Andlauer joins Pin and Verschoor at Duqueine
Doriane Pin and Richard Verschoor will welcome Julien Andlauer into the #30 Duqueine Team Oreca for Le Mans.
Andlauer replaces Giorgio Roda, who contests the regular ELMS campaign alongside Pin and Verschoor. As a result, the revised trio will compete in the main LMP2 class rather than the LMP2 Pro/Am category that Duqueine enters during the European season.
The change gives Duqueine a highly competitive professional line-up. Furthermore, Andlauer adds significant endurance racing experience to the pace that Pin and Verschoor already bring to the programme.
Barnicoat replaces Fuoco at AF Corse
Former ELMS LMP2 Pro/Am champions François Perrodo and Matthieu Vaxiviere will share the #183 AF Corse Oreca with Ben Barnicoat.
Barnicoat replaces Antonio Fuoco, who will compete in the Hypercar category with the #50 Ferrari AF Corse 499P. Consequently, AF Corse has added another experienced prototype and GT competitor to its Pro/Am entry.
Perrodo and Vaxiviere already understand the requirements of a successful Pro/Am campaign. Meanwhile, Barnicoat’s versatility and recent international experience should strengthen the trio across the full race distance.
Proton confirms two revised crews
Proton Competition will enter two Orecas with different driver combinations.
Jonas Ried will race alongside his younger brother Lenny Ried in the #9 car, while British driver Harry King completes the crew. The sibling pairing gives the entry an additional storyline, while King adds proven pace from single-seater, Porsche and endurance competition.
Meanwhile, Stefan Aust will join Horst Felbermayr and Horst Felix Felbermayr in the #44 Proton Competition Oreca.
Therefore, Proton will combine youth, family connections and experience across its two-car Le Mans programme.
IDEC Sport reshuffles its regular drivers
IDEC Sport will bring a single Oreca to Le Mans, with Valerio Rinicella moving from the team’s regular #18 ELMS entry to the #28 car.
Rinicella will join Paul Lafargue and Job van Uitert. Meanwhile, Genesis Magma Racing’s Hypercar programme will occupy regular driver Paul-Loup Chatin during the event.
The reshuffle gives Rinicella an opportunity to contest the race with IDEC’s Le Mans entry while maintaining familiarity within the wider team. Furthermore, Van Uitert and Lafargue provide considerable LMP2 and Le Mans experience.
United Autosports reorganises its pairings
United Autosports has also adjusted its regular ELMS crews for Le Mans.
Grégoire Saucy will share the #22 Oreca with Swedish driver Rasmus Lindh and former ELMS LMP3 champion Mikkel Jensen. Saucy enters the event after winning the 4 Hours of Le Castellet, although both of his Le Mans teammates differ from his usual ELMS partners.
Jensen brings extensive prototype experience, while Lindh adds further pace to the professional entry. Consequently, United has assembled a strong trio around its recent ELMS race winner.
Meanwhile, Ben Hanley moves across to the #222 LMP2 Pro/Am Oreca. He will partner Daniel Schneider and Oliver Jarvis, giving the entry two highly experienced professional drivers alongside Schneider.
CLX and Vector retain ELMS continuity
CLX Motorsport will maintain its complete ELMS driver line-up for Le Mans.
Adrien Closmenil, Ian Aguilera and Theodor Jensen will share the #37 Oreca, allowing the trio to continue developing the partnership that it uses throughout the European season.
Vector Sport has also retained its regular crew. Ryan Cullen, Vlad Lomko and Pietro Fittipaldi will race together, although the team will use the #26 rather than the #10 that it carries in the ELMS.
Therefore, only the car number changes for Vector’s Le Mans programme.
Algarve Pro Racing mixes its ELMS crews
Algarve Pro Racing has reorganised its regular line-ups because Malthe Jakobsen will race for Peugeot TotalEnergies in the Hypercar category.
Pro/Am regulars Michael Jensen and Enzo Trulli will welcome Jake Hughes from APR’s professional ELMS entry. Additionally, the team will use the #25 at Le Mans rather than its usual #20 Pro/Am number.
The revised crew combines the existing relationship between Jensen and Trulli with Hughes’ pace from the Pro entry. As a result, APR maintains experience from both sides of its European programme despite Jakobsen’s Hypercar commitment.
Doohan and Pearson prepare for Le Mans debuts
Jack Doohan and Ed Pearson will both make their 24 Hours of Le Mans debuts with Nielsen Racing.
Experienced Silver-rated Danish driver David Heinemeier Hansson will join them in the #24 Oreca. His extensive knowledge of endurance racing should provide an important reference for the two debutants throughout the event.
Doohan and Pearson will face the unique demands of night running, multi-class traffic and the Circuit de la Sarthe for the first time. However, Heinemeier Hansson’s experience gives Nielsen a balanced crew for its Le Mans challenge.
DKR and TDS introduce new combinations
Sebastian Alvarez will remain in the #3 DKR Engineering Oreca, although two new teammates will join him for Le Mans.
Former ELMS LMP3 champion John Farano and Dutch Platinum-rated driver Renger van der Zande complete the line-up. Van der Zande brings extensive top-level prototype experience, while Farano adds a strong record in Pro/Am competition.
By contrast, TDS Racing will field none of its regular ELMS drivers in the #14 Oreca. Instead, Mathias Beche, Kévin Estre and Canadian racer Tobias Lütke will represent the French team.
Estre provides considerable factory and Le Mans experience, while Beche adds an extensive background in prototype competition.
TF Sport introduces an all-new Le Mans crew
TF Sport will bring its ELMS championship-winning Corvette Z06 GT3.R to Le Mans, although the team will replace its regular European crew for the event.
Malaysian drivers HRH Prince Jefri Ibrahim and Afiq Ikhwan will share the car with British Platinum-rated driver Ben Green.
Therefore, the familiar TF Sport Corvette will compete with a completely different line-up from Blake McDonald, Alec Udell and Charlie Eastwood, who form the team’s regular 2026 ELMS crew.
Kessel replaces Jaubert with Laursen
Kessel Racing will retain the distinctive colours of its #57 Ferrari 296 GT3 after winning the 4 Hours of Le Castellet.
Regular drivers Takeshi Kimura and Daniel Serra will welcome Conrad Laursen for Le Mans. Genesis Magma Racing’s Hypercar programme will occupy Mathys Jaubert, prompting Kessel to revise its usual ELMS line-up.
Laursen brings previous experience of Ferrari machinery and international GT competition. Consequently, he should integrate quickly alongside Kimura and factory driver Serra.
Alesi joins Team Qatar by Iron Lynx
Team Qatar by Iron Lynx will take its distinctive #62 Mercedes-AMG GT3 to the LMGT3 grid.
Abdulla Ali Al-Khelaifi and Julian Hanses will race alongside French driver Giuliano Alesi. The son of former Formula 1 driver Jean Alesi adds experience from single-seaters, Super Formula and GT competition.
Accordingly, the team has combined its regular drivers with another experienced professional for the championship’s longest race.
Racing Spirit of Léman and AF Corse retain full line-ups
Racing Spirit of Léman will contest Le Mans with the same trio that represents it in the ELMS.
Clément Mateu, Marius Fossard and Valentin Hasse-Clot will share the team’s LMGT3 entry, preserving complete continuity between the European championship and Le Mans.
Meanwhile, Custodio Toledo, Lilou Wadoux and Riccardo Agostini will also retain their regular combination in the Richard Mille AF Corse Ferrari 296 GT3.
The trio has already claimed an ELMS race victory, giving AF Corse another proven crew for the 24-hour event.
ELMS strength carries into Le Mans
The 2026 Le Mans entry highlights the close connection between the ELMS and the French endurance classic.
Several teams will arrive with unchanged championship-winning or race-winning combinations. However, Hypercar commitments, category requirements and the need for three-driver crews have also produced numerous changes.
Inter Europol, AO by TF and Forestier Racing will lead the LMP2 contingent with proven success behind them. At the same time, revised crews from Duqueine, AF Corse, United Autosports, Algarve Pro Racing and several other teams will add further depth.
Likewise, the LMGT3 field will feature familiar ELMS cars, colours and competitors as the championship’s leading teams pursue one of endurance racing’s most prestigious victories.
