The second half of the 2026 World Endurance Championship guarantees an intense struggle, with 4 rounds scheduled within the span of simply over two months.
The calendar needed to be reshuffled twice within the wake of the Iran struggle, and the influence of the modifications is multifold. The hole left by the cancelled Qatar spherical has been stuffed by a first-ever WEC go to to Barcelona, whereas Monza replaces Bahrain because the season finale.
These modifications have additionally altered the championship itself.
As has already been documented, each six-hour races in Barcelona and Monza will award a most of 25 factors to the profitable crews, as is commonplace for normal WEC rounds. In contrast, each the Qatar 1812km and the Bahrain 8 Hours had been bonus-points occasions, providing as much as 38 factors.
Fewer factors out there
The change within the scoring system is important. With 26 fewer factors now out there, the revised calendar successfully removes the equal of a whole six-hour race from the championship.
Moreover, albeit midway by the season, roughly 55% of the out there factors has already been handed out. That’s as a result of the Le Mans 24 Hours, which awards double the standard factors, has already occurred.
Race begin
Picture by: Germain Durand
The cancellation of Bahrain additionally will increase the significance of Le Mans. In earlier years, a disappointing outcome at La Sarthe may very well be offset by a powerful end within the eight-hour Bahrain finale, the place 38 factors are on supply. In 2024, for instance, Toyota overturned Porsche’s benefit to clinch the producers’ championship in Bahrain. Such a turnaround will now be a lot more durable to attain.
Nevertheless, with 4 rounds remaining, there nonetheless is loads to play for. A complete of 104 factors can be found throughout the ultimate run of races throughout the Americas, Asia and Europe, together with the extra level awarded at every spherical for claiming pole place. Given no staff has scored greater than 75 factors up to now, each championships stay vast open.
Completely different tracks
Whereas the WEC isn’t heading into uncharted territory, Barcelona and Monza nonetheless current a really totally different problem to the circuits they exchange.
Except for the Prologue in 2019-20, the WEC has by no means visited Barcelona. Whereas some groups and drivers who had been current for that pre-season check are nonetheless on the grid, the championship has basically modified since then. LMP1 has been changed by Hypercar, LMP2 has been axed, whereas the GTE courses have been changed by a single Professional-Am LMGT3 division.
Even so, groups will not be ranging from scratch. A number of producers have examined their hypercars at Barcelona in recent times, whereas some LMGT3 outfits have even raced on the monitor in GT World Problem Europe. As such, they received’t be going into the race utterly blind.
In the meantime, Monza was an annual fixture on the calendar between 2021-23, till Imola changed it because the Italian spherical of the championship, that means most groups ought to have loads of knowledge in regards to the 5.7km monitor. Ferrari additionally used Monza in July to check its present 499P towards its 2027 growth automotive.
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High pace and low drag, as at all times, will likely be essential at Monza, making the Stability of Efficiency notably influential on the circuit’s lengthy straights.
One should additionally think about how totally different Barcelona and Monza are to Qatar and Bahrain respectively.
Ferrari claimed a landmark podium lockout on the WEC’s final journey to Losail, whereas Toyota has received every of the final eight races at Sakhir. Though it’s inconceivable to understand how this yr’s cancelled occasions would have unfolded, Toyota’s famend tyre administration would seemingly have made the TR010 unbeatable in Bahrain. As such, the modifications to the calendar deal an enormous blow to Toyota’s hopes of securing a primary drivers’ title since 2023.
Championship contenders
On the midway level of the season, two crews are tied on the high of the Hypercar standings. Robin Frijns and Rene Rast amassed 75 factors throughout the opening 4 rounds within the #20 BMW M Hybrid V8, matching the tally of Le Mans winners Kamui Kobayashi, Nyck de Vries and Mike Conway within the #7 Toyota.
#7 Toyota Gazoo Racing Toyota TR010: Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi, Nyck De Vries
Picture by: JEP
Sheldon van der Linde, the third driver within the #20 BMW, is formally third within the standings, however can not really contend for the title after lacking the Imola opener as a consequence of a conflict with the IMSA SportsCar Championship.
Excluding van der Linde from the struggle, James Calado, Antonio Giovinazzi and Alessandro Pier Guidi (#51 Ferrari 499P) are successfully third on the desk on 57 factors. Trailing them by only one level are Brendon Hartley, Sebastien Buemi and Ryo Hirakawa within the #8 Toyota.
This implies BMW and Toyota are the prime contenders for the championship, with Ferrari additionally within the hunt regardless of failing to attain a win up to now.
Cadillac has had a comparatively tough season up to now, with Norman Nato and Will Stevens trailing the main two crews by 33 factors of their Jota-entered #12 V-Sequence.R.
Within the producers’ championship, Toyota leads BMW by 5 factors, with Ferrari one other 39 factors adrift in third place.
In LMGT3, the #33 TF Sport Corvette Z06 GT3.R has a wholesome benefit following its class victory at Le Mans, however Jonny Edgar is the one driver among the many crew to have taken half in all 4 races up to now.
Richard Lietz, Riccardo Pera and Yasser Shahin sit second aboard the #92 Manthey Porsche 911 GT3 R, 27 factors behind Edgar’s Corvette.
Hypercar standings after sao paulo 6 hours
1
75
15/3
10/5
50/1
–
1
75
15/3
10/5
50/1
–
1
75
15/3
10/5
50/1
–
2
75
10/5
25/1
36/2
4/8
2
75
10/5
25/1
36/2
4/8
3
65
–
25/1
36/2
4/8
4
57
19/2
–
20/5
18/2
4
57
19/2
–
20/5
18/2
4
57
19/2
–
20/5
18/2
5
56
25/1
1/10
30/3
–
5
56
25/1
1/10
30/3
–
5
56
25/1
1/10
30/3
–
6
50
6/7
18/2
1
25/1
6
50
6/7
18/2
1
25/1
7
44
–
18/2
1
25/1
8
42
–
2/9
24/4
16/3
8
42
–
2/9
24/4
16/3
8
42
–
2/9
24/4
16/3
9
31
1/10
8/6
12/7
10/5
9
31
1/10
8/6
12/7
10/5
9
31
1/10
8/6
12/7
10/5
10
30
2/9
12/4
8/8
8/6
10
30
2/9
12/4
8/8
8/6
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