Expectations running high

[Photo: Sérgio de Almeida Correia ]

With the cancellation of the Qatar round, which was due to be the first race on the 2026 WEC calendar, due to the crisis in the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz, this year’s world championship, which began in Italy with the 6 Hours of Imola in April, followed by the Belgian round at Spa-Francorchamps in the heart of the Ardennes, will continue tomorrow with the 94th edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

And if there is one thing that can be said so far, it is that this is proving to be an unusual championship in the WEC premier category.

Without Porsche, which, following the spectacular unveiling of the road-going version of the 963 RSP at the 2025 24 Hours of Le Mans – inspired by the legendary Porsche 917 that belonged to the Italian aristocrat Count Rossi – announced the withdrawal of its Hypercar program, one would never have imagined such a development. Yet, even with Toyota and Ferrari competing, no one would have bet that we would reach the 2026 edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the third race of the year, with BMW leading the championship by seven and 17 points over those two manufacturers, following a fifth- and seventh-place finish in Italy and a one-two finish in Belgium.

With Aston Martin’s stunning Valkyries in fourth place, thanks to the ninth- and fourth-place finishes achieved by car 007 in the first two races, closely followed by the cars of the French teams Alpine and Peugeot, tomorrow’s race could well prove to be full of surprises.

[Photo: Sérgio de Almeida Correia ]

The upgraded Alpine A424, which raced last February in Portugal on the rollercoaster circuit of Portimão, achieved a promising fourth-place finish at Imola, driven by António Félix da Costa, the Portuguese “Flying Ant,” who returns to the Hypercar series to team up with Charles Milesi and Ferdinand de Habsburg-Lothringen. The other car from the team led by Philippe Sinault and Nicolas Lapierre is entrusted to Jules Gounon, Frédéric Makowiecki, and Victor Martins in an all-French lineup.

As for the lion brand, seventh place at Spa-Francorchamps, just over a second behind the Ferrari 83 that won Le Mans in 2025, is very promising, especially with the team racing at home and enjoying the ever-tireless and enthusiastic support of local fans.

Also worth noting is Cadillac’s strong comeback and the debut of Magma Racing’s Genesis GMR-001 at Le Mans – the first-ever South Korean car and team in the World Endurance Championship, which contested its debut race at Imola. Led by Cyril Abiteboul and with the legendary and ever-friendly Gabriel Tarquini – whom Macau knows so well – as the team’s sporting director, the Asian outfit makes its Le Mans debut with a car resulting from a partnership with Oreca, fielding two highly respected crews that show great promise with their blend of experience and youth: Lotterer/Derani/Jobert and Jaminet/Chatin/Juncadella are sure to delight those who come to see them in action. For those who don’t know, Genesis is to Hyundai as Lexus is to Toyota and Acura is to Honda.

[Photo: Sérgio de Almeida Correia ]

As for the Americans from Cadillac, they are once again betting heavily on the 2026 edition. In last year’s race, Alex Lynn secured pole position during the Hyperpole session with a fantastic 3:23.166 lap of the circuit. Although results have so far fallen short of expectations in the Hypercar class, the 2025 pole position and victory in São Paulo in the last championship provide extra motivation for this year’s race and its formidable lineup of drivers.

Despite the withdrawal of the official Stuttgart team, the 18 cars entered in the Hypercar class for the 2026 24 Hours of Le Mans and a fabulous squadron of great drivers are a sure-fire guarantee of a spectacular show, especially given the forecast of sunny weather and the absence of the torrential rain seen during the night of the 2024 edition. The FIA-WEC and the ACO are once again to be congratulated. The die is cast. SÉRGIO DE ALMEIDA CORREIA, MDT, LE MANS