The 2026 FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) returns from its summer break this weekend for the Lone Star Le Mans at Circuit of The Americas (COTA), with the fifth round of the season taking place from 4–6 September.
COTA hosts the championship’s only visit to the United States and begins the second half of an increasingly close title fight. Toyota still leads the Hypercar Manufacturers’ Championship, but BMW’s victory at São Paulo reduced the advantage from 36 points to only five. René Rast and Robin Frijns have also drawn level with Toyota’s Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi and Nyck de Vries at the top of the Drivers’ Championship on 75 points.
Cadillac arrives on home soil after securing pole, third and fourth in Brazil, while Ferrari remains firmly involved despite sitting 39 points behind BMW. LMGT3 brings another open contest as championship leader TF Sport attempts to protect a 27-point advantage over The Bend Manthey, while Racing Team Turkey by TF arrives directly from victory at Interlagos.
COTA provides a varied and demanding six-hour challenge
Circuit of The Americas gives teams a significantly different challenge from the compact Interlagos layout used before the summer break.
The 5.513km circuit features 20 corners, comprising 11 left-handers and nine right-handers. Its opening sector combines the steep climb towards Turn 1 with a rapid sequence of direction changes, while the remainder of the lap adds long straights, heavy braking zones and slower technical corners.
That variety forces teams to compromise between aerodynamic stability through the high-speed sections and traction through COTA’s slower corners. The circuit can also place significant demands on tyres across a stint, while its evolving bumps add another set-up consideration.
Weather represents another variable. The 2025 Lone Star Le Mans took place in difficult wet conditions, with the race initially running behind the Safety Car before a Red Flag interrupted proceedings. Porsche Penske Motorsport eventually mastered the changing conditions to win outright.
COTA has already hosted eight previous FIA WEC events, giving several drivers on the current grid experience of victory at the venue. Loïc Duval, Brendon Hartley, André Lotterer, Robert Kubica, Yifei Ye, Earl Bamber and Norman Nato have all previously stood on the top step in Austin.
2026 Lone Star Le Mans entry list
Toyota and BMW bring five-point championship fight to Texas
Toyota remains the championship leader, but its position looks considerably less comfortable than it did after Le Mans.
The Japanese manufacturer arrived in Brazil 36 points clear following victory for Conway, Kobayashi and De Vries at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. However, neither Toyota scored at Interlagos, while BMW collected 31 Manufacturers’ Championship points and moved to 127, only five behind Toyota’s 132.
The Drivers’ Championship has tightened even further. Rast and Frijns sit level on 75 points with Conway, Kobayashi and De Vries, although Sheldon van der Linde trails his #20 BMW team-mates by 10 after missing the opening event at Imola.
BMW also carries the strongest recent form into Texas. The marque claimed its first outright WEC victory with a one-two at Spa-Francorchamps, finished second at Le Mans and then returned to the top step at São Paulo when Kevin Magnussen, Raffaele Marciello and Dries Vanthoor won in the #15 M Hybrid V8.
The #20 of Frijns, Rast and van der Linde gives BMW another championship threat, while Toyota retains its two TR010 Hybrids. Conway, Kobayashi and De Vries continue in the #7, with Sébastien Buemi, Brendon Hartley and Ryō Hirakawa sharing the #8.
COTA could therefore become the point where the championship lead finally changes hands, particularly after Toyota’s difficult São Paulo weekend erased almost its entire post-Le Mans cushion.
Cadillac targets first COTA victory on home soil
Cadillac arrives at its only home WEC round carrying its strongest momentum of the season.
The American manufacturer dominated Qualifying at São Paulo as Will Stevens claimed pole ahead of Jack Aitken to complete a Cadillac front-row lockout. Pit-stop problems prevented either car from converting that advantage into victory, but Stevens and Norman Nato recovered to third while Earl Bamber, Sébastien Bourdais and Aitken finished fourth.
That weekend lifted Cadillac to 60 points in the Manufacturers’ Championship and fourth overall. However, the V-Series.R has yet to win at COTA. Ferrari took victory in 2024 before Porsche prevailed in the rain last season.
The #12 line-up changes this weekend as Ricky Taylor joins Stevens and Nato while Alex Lynn continues his recovery from surgery. Taylor already knows the V-Series.R through his IMSA programme and arrives after a recent victory with Cadillac Wayne Taylor Racing at Road America.
Bamber, Bourdais and Aitken continue together in the #38. Bamber and Nato have both previously won at COTA, providing Cadillac with useful experience as it attempts to turn recent pace into a first home WEC victory.
Cadillac has already made clear that it wants to “keep momentum going” after São Paulo. With its strongest 2026 weekend immediately before the summer break, Austin gives the team another opportunity to establish itself among the regular Hypercar victory contenders.
Ferrari needs to remain in touch with leading pair
Ferrari sits third in the Manufacturers’ Championship on 88 points after making progress in Brazil, but Toyota and BMW remain increasingly difficult targets.
The #51 Ferrari 499P of Alessandro Pier Guidi, James Calado and Antonio Giovinazzi finished second at São Paulo, only 2.254 seconds behind the winning BMW. That result lifted the trio to 57 points in the Drivers’ standings and fourth overall.
Ferrari also carries recent COTA success. Kubica and Ye were part of the winning AF Corse crew in 2024 and return this season alongside Philip Hanson in the #83. The factory #50 of Antonio Fuoco, Miguel Molina and Nicklas Nielsen joins the #51 and #83 to give Ferrari three opportunities to score.
However, Ferrari enters the weekend 39 points behind BMW and 44 behind Toyota. Another significant swing at COTA could therefore determine whether the reigning world champion manufacturer remains part of the title fight during the final three rounds.
A 17-car Hypercar field leaves little margin for error
The Lone Star Le Mans entry list contains 17 Hypercars representing eight manufacturers.
Toyota, BMW, Cadillac, Aston Martin, Genesis, Alpine and Peugeot each bring two cars, while Ferrari fields three 499Ps. The depth of the field should make traffic, strategy and track position particularly important around a circuit where different car concepts can produce their lap time in very different ways.
Aston Martin arrives after scoring 14 Manufacturers’ Championship points at São Paulo and now sits only one point behind Alpine, with the two marques on 40 and 41 respectively. Genesis continues the development of its first Hypercar campaign with André Lotterer, Luis Felipe Derani and Mathys Jaubert in the #17, while Mathieu Jaminet, Paul-Loup Chatin and Daniel Juncadella share the #19.
Peugeot completes the class with its two 9X8s. Former COTA winner Duval shares the #94 with Malthe Jakobsen and Théo Pourchaire, while Paul di Resta, Stoffel Vandoorne and Nick Cassidy drive the #93.
The absence of Porsche also means COTA will have a different overall winner from 2025. With BMW, Toyota, Cadillac and Ferrari all carrying immediate championship objectives, the opening stages should provide little incentive for anyone to settle into a conservative race.
TF Sport takes commanding LMGT3 lead to COTA
The LMGT3 championship arrives in Austin with TF Sport’s #33 Corvette holding a substantial advantage.
Jonny Edgar leads the Drivers’ standings on 76 points, while returning team-mate Nicky Catsburg has 72 after missing São Paulo. Ben Keating sits third on 54 after missing the first two rounds while recovering from injury. The #33 also leads the Teams’ classification with 76 points, 27 clear of the #92 The Bend Manthey Porsche.
Catsburg returns at COTA alongside Edgar and Texan driver Keating, restoring the Corvette’s regular three-driver line-up after the Dutchman missed Brazil because of a clashing commitment.
The #33 does not arrive with the strongest recent race result, however. Its sister #34 Racing Team Turkey by TF Corvette won at São Paulo with Salih Yoluç, Peter Dempsey and Charlie Eastwood, moving that crew to 43 points and fourth in the Teams’ standings.
Consequently, Corvette enters Cadillac’s home race with two genuine LMGT3 victory threats and the championship lead to protect.
BMW and Porsche lead the chase as LMGT3 remains open
The Bend Manthey sits second in the LMGT3 Teams’ standings on 49 points with Yasser Shahin, Riccardo Pera and Richard Lietz, while two crews share third on 43.
The #69 Team WRT BMW of Anthony McIntosh, Parker Thompson and Daniel Harper is one of them after finishing second at São Paulo. Racing Team Turkey by TF holds the same total after its Brazilian victory. VISTA AF Corse’s #21 Ferrari follows only one point behind on 42, keeping four teams separated by just seven points from second to fifth.
McLaren also has a strong COTA reference despite a change of team from the previous campaign. United Autosports won the 2025 event with the #95 McLaren after a late penalty changed the class result. Garage 59 now represents the marque with its #10 and #58 720S LMGT3 Evos.
Heart of Racing Team also restores Eduardo Barrichello to the #23 Aston Martin after he missed São Paulo. He joins Gray Newell and Jonny Adam, while Ian James, Zacharie Robichon and Mattia Drudi continue in the #27.
The complete 18-car class contains nine manufacturers: McLaren, Ferrari, Aston Martin, BMW, Corvette, Mercedes-AMG, Ford, Lexus and Porsche. That variety should again create different strengths across COTA’s contrasting sectors.
Key 2026 Lone Star Le Mans schedule
The COTA weekend begins with two Free Practice sessions on Friday before the final practice and both Qualifying sessions take place on Saturday. Sunday’s six-hour race starts at 13:00 local time.
- Friday, 4 September
- Free Practice 1 — 11:30 local time
- Free Practice 2 — 16:00 local time
- Saturday, 5 September
- Free Practice 3 — 11:00 local time
- LMGT3 Qualifying — 15:00 local time
- LMGT3 Hyperpole — 15:20 local time
- Hypercar Qualifying — 15:40 local time
- Hypercar Hyperpole — 16:00 local time
- Sunday, 6 September
- Lone Star Le Mans — 13:00 local time
All times are local to Austin, Texas, CDT.
Official Lone Star Le Mans event page and schedule
FIAWEC+ will stream Free Practice, Qualifying, Hyperpole and the six-hour race live and on demand. The championship also provides other regional broadcast options through its official viewing guide.
Official 2026 Lone Star Le Mans viewing guide
What to watch in Hypercar
The championship fight gives every major Hypercar storyline additional significance at COTA.
Toyota needs a response after leaving São Paulo without scoring, while BMW has an opportunity to take the Manufacturers’ Championship lead for the first time since Toyota’s Le Mans victory. The Drivers’ title is even tighter, with Rast and Frijns level with Conway, Kobayashi and De Vries before the weekend begins.
Cadillac provides another major threat after its Brazilian front-row lockout and podium. Racing on home soil gives the manufacturer added incentive, while Taylor’s arrival strengthens a #12 crew already only six points away from victory last time out.
Ferrari cannot afford to let the leading two manufacturers escape, while Aston Martin, Alpine, Genesis and Peugeot remain capable of influencing the championship even if their own title positions look more difficult.
COTA should also reward versatility. Teams need high-speed stability through the opening sector, braking confidence at the end of the straights and enough tyre life to remain competitive through long green-flag stints. If the weather changes as dramatically as it did in 2025, strategy could become even more important than outright pace.
What to watch in LMGT3
TF Sport holds the clearest championship advantage across either WEC category, but the competition behind the #33 Corvette remains extremely close.
The Bend Manthey, Team WRT, Racing Team Turkey by TF and VISTA AF Corse all sit within seven points of one another from second to fifth. A single strong COTA result could therefore completely reorder the group chasing the championship leader.
Corvette enters with obvious momentum after winning both Le Mans with the #33 and São Paulo with the #34. However, Porsche remains second in the championship, BMW finished second in Brazil and McLaren carries the confidence of being the defending winning manufacturer at COTA.
Bronze-driver performance should again prove crucial, particularly around a long lap where traffic from the 17 Hypercars can create substantial time differences. Pit timing, tyre management and avoiding contact during multiclass traffic may ultimately matter as much as outright LMGT3 pace.
COTA begins decisive second half of 2026 WEC season
The Lone Star Le Mans begins the second half of a championship that looks considerably less predictable than it did before São Paulo.
Toyota retains the Hypercar lead, but BMW now sits only five points behind and shares the top of the Drivers’ standings through Rast and Frijns. Ferrari remains within striking distance, while Cadillac arrives at its home race after finally translating its pace into a podium.
LMGT3 presents a different picture. TF Sport holds a significant advantage with the #33 Corvette, but four teams remain closely grouped behind and Racing Team Turkey by TF arrives with the momentum of victory in Brazil.
After COTA, only Fuji, Barcelona and Monza remain. The six hours in Texas therefore provide Toyota and BMW with their next direct title confrontation, Cadillac with its best opportunity to win on home soil and the LMGT3 contenders with increasingly limited time to reduce Corvette’s advantage.
