WEC News: What the preliminary entry list for the 24 Hours of Le Mans tells us
The stage is set for an epic showdown at the 94th edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, scheduled for June 10-14, 2026, as the fourth round of the FIA World Endurance Championship. With a full grid of 62 cars across three classes—18 Hypercars, 19 LMP2 prototypes, and 25 LMGT3 entries—the event promises intense competition, blending cutting-edge technology, endurance, and raw speed.
–by Mark Cipolloni–
Once a grueling test of reliability, Le Mans has transformed into a high-stakes 24-hour sprint, where margins as slim as 14 seconds have decided recent victors, and multiple contenders often finish on the lead lap.
Hypercar: Titans Clash with New Challengers
The premier Hypercar class features 18 entries, down from last year’s 21 due to Porsche’s withdrawal of its factory and select customer cars, partially offset by newcomers. Ferrari’s 499P remains the benchmark, unbeaten at La Sarthe since 2023, with factory teams (#50 and #51) and the privateer AF Corse (#83) aiming for a fourth consecutive win.
Cadillac bolsters its presence with Hertz Team JOTA’s two full-season V-Series.Rs (#12 and #38) joined by Wayne Taylor Racing’s #101, featuring IMSA stars Ricky and Jordan Taylor alongside Filipe Albuquerque—secured via an at-large invite following Porsche’s IMSA exit. Action Express Racing, however, sits out for the first time since 2022.
Toyota seeks to reclaim dominance with its updated GR010 Hybrid, having won five straight from 2018-2022. BMW’s M Hybrid V8 enters its third year with high ambitions, while Aston Martin’s Valkyrie showed promise last season.
Newcomer Genesis Magma Racing brings Korean innovation with the GMR-001, led by triple Le Mans winner André Lotterer in the #17. Home favorites Peugeot and Alpine aim to rebound on French soil, with young talents like ex-F2 champion Théo Pourchaire (Peugeot #94) and F2 winner Victor Martins (Alpine #36) adding fresh energy.
LMP2: Expanded Field with Rising Stars
LMP2 grows to 19 Oreca 07-Gibson entries, up by two, drawing from ELMS and featuring 10 Pro-Am contenders. Highlights include RD Limited’s Le Mans debut with team owner and two-time winner Romain Dumas alongside Fred Poordad (#48). CrowdStrike Racing by APR (#4), fresh off the Asian Le Mans Series title, fields George Kurtz and Alex Quinn.
Notable names abound: F1 Academy champion Doriane Pin in Duqueine Team’s #30, Pietro Fittipaldi (grandson of Emerson) in Vector Sport’s #26, Enzo Trulli (son of Jarno) in Algarve Pro’s #25, and Mikkel Jensen shifting to United Autosports’ #22. Six teams have full lineups confirmed, with others to follow.
LMGT3: Bumper Grid with Brand Diversity
LMGT3 boasts 25 cars, up one from last year, with the 18 WEC regulars augmented by auto-invites and extras. Nine brands compete, promising tight battles after last year’s lead-lap finishes among the top four.
Manthey’s Porsche 911 sets the standard, but challengers include TF Sport’s third Corvette (#2) in partnership with JMR Johor Racing, driven by Prince Jefri Ibrahim, Afiq Ikhwan Yazid, and Ben Green. 13 Autosport’s Corvette (#13) features IMSA’s Orey Fidani with Matt Bell and Lars Kern.
Kessel Racing adds two Ferrari 296s: #57 with Takeshi Kimura and factory driver Daniel Serra; #74 with Dustin Blattner, Lorenzo Patrese (son of Riccardo), and Dennis Marschall. Iron Lynx’s extra Mercedes (#62, under Team Qatar) includes Abdulla Al-Khelaifi, Julian Hanses, and Giuliano Alesi (son of Jean).
Racing Spirit of Leman returns with an Aston Martin (#59), and Richard Mille AF Corse’s Ferrari (#150) lists Lilou Wadoux. Ex-F1 driver Logan Sargeant debuts in Proton’s Ford Mustang (#88), while Akkodis ASP swaps in Jack Hawksworth for its Lexus (#78).
A nine-car reserve list includes LMP2 from Cetilar, CLX, IDEC, Vector, and Proton, plus LMGT3 from GR Racing, Blackthorn (with Dario Franchitti), United Autosports, and AF Corse.
With global marques, seasoned champions, and emerging talents, the 2026 Le Mans is poised for drama, strategy, and history-making moments.
2026 24 Hours of Le Mans Preliminary Entry List
Hypercar Class (18 Entries)
| No. | Team | Car | Driver 1 | Driver 2 | Driver 3 |
| 007 | Aston Martin Thor Team | Aston Martin Valkyrie | Harry Tincknell (GBR) | Tom Gamble (GBR) | Ross Gunn (GBR) |
| 009 | Aston Martin Thor Team | Aston Martin Valkyrie | Alex Riberas (ESP) | Marco Sørensen (DEN) | Roman De Angelis (CAN) |
| 7 | Toyota Racing | Toyota GR010 Hybrid | Mike Conway (GBR) | Kamui Kobayashi (JPN) | Nyck de Vries (NED) |
| 8 | Toyota Racing | Toyota GR010 Hybrid | Sébastien Buemi (SUI) | Brendon Hartley (NZL) | Ryō Hirakawa (JPN) |
| 12 | Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA | Cadillac V-Series.R | Alex Lynn (GBR) | Will Stevens (GBR) | Norman Nato (FRA) |
| 15 | BMW M Team WRT | BMW M Hybrid V8 | Kevin Magnussen (DEN) | Raffaele Marciello (SUI) | Dries Vanthoor (BEL) |
| 17 | Genesis Magma Racing | Genesis GMR-001 | André Lotterer (GER) | Pipo Derani (BRA) | Mathys Jaubert (FRA) |
| 19 | Genesis Magma Racing | Genesis GMR-001 | Mathieu Jaminet (FRA) | Paul-Loup Chatin (FRA) | Daniel Juncadella (ESP) |
| 20 | BMW M Team WRT | BMW M Hybrid V8 | Robin Frijns (NED) | René Rast (GER) | Sheldon van der Linde (RSA) |
| 35 | Alpine Endurance Team | Alpine A424 | António Félix da Costa (POR) | Charles Milesi (FRA) | Ferdinand Habsburg (AUT) |
| 36 | Alpine Endurance Team | Alpine A424 | Frédéric Makowiecki (FRA) | Jules Gounon (FRA) | Victor Martins (FRA) |
| 38 | Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA | Cadillac V-Series.R | Sébastien Bourdais (FRA) | Earl Bamber (NZL) | Jack Aitken (GBR) |
| 50 | Ferrari AF Corse | Ferrari 499P | Antonio Fuoco (ITA) | Nicklas Nielsen (DEN) | Miguel Molina (ESP) |
| 51 | Ferrari AF Corse | Ferrari 499P | Alessandro Pier Guidi (ITA) | James Calado (GBR) | Antonio Giovinazzi (ITA) |
| 83 | AF Corse | Ferrari 499P | Yifei Ye (CHN) | Robert Kubica (POL) | Phil Hanson (GBR) |
| 93 | Peugeot TotalEnergies | Peugeot 9X8 | Paul di Resta (GBR) | Stoffel Vandoorne (BEL) | Nick Cassidy (NZL) |
| 94 | Peugeot TotalEnergies | Peugeot 9X8 | Loïc Duval (FRA) | Malthe Jakobsen (DEN) | Théo Pourchaire (FRA) |
| 101 | Cadillac WTR | Cadillac V-Series.R | Ricky Taylor (USA) | Jordan Taylor (USA) | Filipe Albuquerque (POR) |
24 Hours of Le Mans LMP2 Class (19 Entries)
| No. | Team | Car | Driver 1 | Driver 2 | Driver 3 | Notes |
| 3 | DKR Engineering | Oreca 07-Gibson | Alexander Mattschull (GER) | TBA | TBA | Pro-Am |
| 4 | Crowdstrike Racing by APR | Oreca 07-Gibson | George Kurtz (USA) | Alexander Quinn (GBR) | TBA | Pro-Am |
| 9 | Proton Competition | Oreca 07-Gibson | Jonas Ried (GER) | TBA | TBA | |
| 14 | TDS Racing | Oreca 07-Gibson | Tobias Lutke (CAN) | Mathias Beche (SUI) | TBA | Pro-Am |
| 22 | United Autosports | Oreca 07-Gibson | Rasmus Lindh (SWE) | Grégoire Saucy (SUI) | Mikkel Jensen (DEN) | |
| 24 | Nielsen Racing | Oreca 07-Gibson | Edward Pearson (GBR) | TBA | TBA | Pro-Am |
| 25 | Algarve Pro Racing | Oreca 07-Gibson | Michael Jensen (DEN) | Enzo Trulli (ITA) | TBA | Pro-Am |
| 26 | Vector Sport | Oreca 07-Gibson | Ryan Cullen (IRL) | Vladislav Lomko (RUS) | Pietro Fittipaldi (BRA) | |
| 28 | IDEC Sport | Oreca 07-Gibson | Paul Lafargue (FRA) | TBA | TBA | |
| 29 | Forestier Racing by Panis | Oreca 07-Gibson | Louis Rousset (FRA) | TBA | TBA | |
| 30 | Duqueine Team | Oreca 07-Gibson | Doriane Pin (FRA) | TBA | TBA | |
| 37 | CLX Motorsport | Oreca 07-Gibson | Adrien Closmenil (FRA) | Ian Aguilera (ESP) | Theodor Jensen (DEN) | |
| 43 | Inter Europol Competition | Oreca 07-Gibson | Jakub Smiechowski (POL) | Tom Dillmann (FRA) | Nicholas Yelloly (GBR) | |
| 44 | Proton Competition | Oreca 07-Gibson | Stefan Aust (GER) | TBA | TBA | Pro-Am |
| 48 | RD Limited | Oreca 07-Gibson | Fred Poordad (USA) | Romain Dumas (FRA) | TBA | Pro-Am |
| 95 | AO by TF | Oreca 07-Gibson | PJ Hyett (USA) | Louis Deletraz (SUI) | Dane Cameron (USA) | Pro-Am |
| 183 | AF Corse | Oreca 07-Gibson | Francois Perrodo (FRA) | Matthieu Vaxiviere (FRA) | TBA | Pro-Am |
| 222 | United Autosports | Oreca 07-Gibson | Daniel Schneider (BRA) | Ben Hanley (GBR) | Oliver Jarvis (GBR) | Pro-Am |
| 343 | Inter Europol Competition | Oreca 07-Gibson | Bijoy Garg (USA) | TBA | TBA |
24 Hours of Le Mans LMGT3 Class (25 Entries)
| No. | Team | Car | Driver 1 | Driver 2 | Driver 3 |
| 2 | TF Sport | Corvette Z06 LMGT3.R | Prince Jefri Ibrahim (MAS) | Afiq Ikhwan Yazid (MAS) | Ben Green (GBR) |
| 10 | Garage 59 | McLaren 720S LMGT3 | Antares Au (HKG) | Thomas Fleming (GBR) | Marvin Kirchhofer (GER) |
| 13 | 13 Autosport | Corvette Z06 LMGT3.R | Orey Fidani (CAN) | Lars Kern (GER) | Matthew Bell (GBR) |
| 21 | Vista AF Corse | Ferrari 296 LMGT3 | Francois Heriau (FRA) | Simon Mann (USA) | Alessio Rovera (ITA) |
| 23 | Heart of Racing Team | Aston Martin Vantage | Gray Newell (USA) | TBA | TBA |
| 27 | Heart of Racing Team | Aston Martin Vantage | Ian James (USA) | TBA | TBA |
| 32 | Team WRT | BMW M4 LMGT3 | Darren Leung (GBR) | Sean Gelael (INA) | Augusto Farfus (BRA) |
| 33 | TF Sport | Corvette Z06 LMGT3.R | Ben Keating (USA) | Jonny Edgar (GBR) | Nicky Catsburg (NED) |
| 34 | Racing Team Turkey by TF | Corvette Z06 LMGT3.R | Salih Yoluc (TUR) | Peter Dempsey (IRL) | Charlie Eastwood (IRL) |
| 54 | Vista AF Corse | Ferrari 296 LMGT3 | Thomas Flohr (SUI) | Francesco Castellacci (ITA) | Davide Rigon (ITA) |
| 57 | Kessel Racing | Ferrari 296 LMGT3 | Takeshi Kimura (JPN) | Daniel Serra (BRA) | TBA |
| 58 | Garage 59 | McLaren 720S LMGT3 | Alexander West (USA) | Finn Gehrsitz (GER) | Benjamin Goethe (GBR) |
| 59 | Racing Spirit of Leman | Aston Martin Vantage | Clement Mateu (FRA) | Sebastien Baud (FRA) | Valentin Hasse-Clot (FRA) |
| 61 | Iron Lynx | Mercedes-AMG LMGT3 | Martin Berry (AUS) | Rui Andrade (POR) | Maxime Martin (BEL) |
| 62 | Team Qatar by Iron Lynx | Mercedes-AMG LMGT3 | Abdulla Al-Khelaifi (QAT) | Julian Hanses (GER) | Giuliano Alesi (FRA) |
| 69 | Team WRT | BMW M4 LMGT3 | Anthony McIntosh (CAN) | Parker Thompson (CAN) | Dan Harper (GBR) |
| 74 | Kessel Racing | Ferrari 296 LMGT3 | Dustin Blattner (USA) | Lorenzo Patrese (ITA) | Dennis Marschall (GER) |
| 77 | Proton Competition | Ford Mustang LMGT3 | Eric Powell (USA) | Ben Tuck (GBR) | Sebastian Priaulx (GBR) |
| 78 | Akkodis ASP Team | Lexus RC F LMGT3 | Tom Van Rompuy (BEL) | Hadrien David (FRA) | Jack Hawksworth (GBR) |
| 79 | Iron Lynx | Mercedes-AMG LMGT3 | Johannes Zelger (GER) | Matteo Cressoni (ITA) | Lin Hodenius (GER) |
| 87 | Akkodis ASP Team | Lexus RC F LMGT3 | Petru Umbrarescu (ROU) | Clemens Schmid (AUT) | Jose María Lopez (ARG) |
| 88 | Proton Competition | Ford Mustang LMGT3 | Stefano Gattuso (ITA) | Gianmarco Levorato (ITA) | Logan Sargeant (USA) |
| 91 | Manthey DK Engineering | Porsche 911 GT3 R | James Cottingham (GBR) | Timur Boguslavskiy (RUS) | Ayhancan Guven (TUR) |
| 92 | The Bend Manthey | Porsche 911 GT3 R | Yasser Shahin (AUS) | Riccardo Pera (ITA) | Richard Lietz (AUT) |
| 150 | Richard Mille AF Corse | Ferrari 296 LMGT3 | Custodio Toledo (BRA) | Lilou Wadoux (FRA) | Riccardo Agostini (ITA) |
24 Hours of Le Mans Reserve List (9 Entries)
| No. | Team | Car | Class | Driver 1 | Driver 2 | Driver 3 |
| 86 | GR Racing | Ferrari 296 LMGT3 | LMGT3 | Michael Wainwright (GBR) | TBA | TBA |
| 47 | Cetilar Racing | Oreca 07-Gibson | LMP2 | Roberto Lacorte (ITA) | Nicola Lacorte (ITA) | TBA |
| 56 | Blackthorn | Aston Martin Vantage | LMGT3 | Giacomo Petrobelli (ITA) | Jonathan Adam (GBR) | Dario Franchitti (GBR) |
| 137 | CLX Motorsport | Oreca 07-Gibson | LMP2 | John Farano (CAN) | TBA | TBA |
| 95 | United Autosports | McLaren 720S LMGT3 | LMGT3 | Michael Birch (DEN) | Garnet Patterson (CAN) | Wayne Boyd (GBR) |
| 18 | IDEC Sport | Oreca 07-Gibson | LMP2 | David Heinemeier Hansson (SWE) | TBA | TBA |
| 16 | Vector Sport | Oreca 07-Gibson | LMP2 | Cem Bolukbasi (TUR) | TBA | TBA |
| 151 | AF Corse | Ferrari 296 LMGT3 | LMGT3 | Charles-Henri Samani (FRA) | Conrad Laursen (DEN) | TBA |
| 11 | Proton Competition | Oreca 07-Gibson | LMP2 | Horst Felbermayr (AUT) | TBA | TBA |
All entries use Michelin tires. TBA indicates drivers to be announced.