Samwise Sportscar & Endurance Newsletter
Monday, May 11, 2026
BMW Scores Historic 1-2 at WEC 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps
BMW M Team WRT scored the Bavarian marque's first FIA World Endurance Championship victory in 27 years at the TotalEnergies 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps. The #20 crew of René Rast, Robin Frijns and Sheldon van der Linde converted a bold alternate-strategy call into an outright win, with Frijns taking the chequered flag by under two seconds ahead of the sister #15 BMW of Kevin Magnussen and Raffaele Marciello. BMW now leads the manufacturers' championship with 59 points, ahead of Toyota on 52. Rast and Frijns top the drivers' standings on 35 points. A record Spa crowd of 101,606 witnessed the landmark result.
Sources: Motorsport.com
Jakobsen Stuns Field to Give Peugeot Maiden WEC Pole at Spa
Malthe Jakobsen produced a stunning lap to give Peugeot its maiden FIA World Endurance Championship pole position at the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps, ending a 34-year wait for the French manufacturer in world championship endurance competition. Driving the #94 Peugeot 9X8, Jakobsen set a 2:00.653 in Hyperpole to beat the #12 Jota Cadillac of Will Stevens by just 0.043 seconds. The achievement was all the more remarkable given Jakobsen had flat-spotted his tyres after spinning at Raidillon on his Q1 outlap. The result represented Peugeot's first pole in any international endurance series for 15 years.
Sources: FIA WEC
Spa Drama: Peugeot and Alpine Both Retire After Promising Start
The 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps proved cruel for both Peugeot and Alpine despite strong early form. Polesitter Malthe Jakobsen's race ended before the four-hour mark when Matteo Cressoni's #79 Iron Lynx Mercedes-AMG lost control at Les Combes and spun into the path of the #94 Peugeot on cold tyres, triggering a Virtual Safety Car and retiring the car. Alpine's race then unravelled in the final stages as António Félix da Costa spun on cold tyres at Raidillon with under 30 minutes remaining, ending a spirited challenge for second place and costing the French manufacturer significant championship points.
Sources: Motorsport.com
Aston Martin Valkyrie Claims Best-Ever WEC Finish with Spa Fourth
Tom Gamble and Harry Tincknell delivered the Aston Martin THOR Team Valkyrie LMH its finest FIA World Endurance Championship result to date with fourth place at the TotalEnergies 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps. Gamble secured the position by passing Toyota's Kamui Kobayashi in the #7 GR010 with six laps remaining, resisting late pressure to hold the place to the flag. Tincknell described the outcome as bittersweet given the Valkyrie's raw pace throughout the weekend. The result represents a significant step forward for Aston Martin's WEC programme, which is building momentum ahead of the 24 Hours of Le Mans in June.
Sources: Sportscar365
Garage 59 McLaren Recovers from 15th to Win LMGT3 Class at Spa
Garage 59 claimed a dramatic LMGT3 class victory at the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps after recovering from 15th on the class grid. The #10 McLaren 720S GT3 Evo crew of Antares Au, Tom Fleming and Marvin Kirchhöfer benefited from a five-second post-race penalty applied to the AF Corse Ferrari #54, which had crossed the line first, for a pit infringement. The McLaren was promoted to victory by 2.148 seconds over the Heart of Racing Aston Martin. It was the second LMGT3 class win in WEC history for McLaren and the team's redemption after an agonising near-miss at the season opener in Imola.
Sources: FIA WEC
Le Mans 2026 Final Entry Confirmed: 62 Cars, 186 Drivers, Eight Hypercar Brands
The FIA World Endurance Championship has published the definitive 62-car entry list for the 94th 24 Hours of Le Mans, set for June 13–14, 2026. The 18-car Hypercar class features eight manufacturers — BMW, Toyota, Ferrari, Peugeot, Alpine, Genesis, Cadillac and Aston Martin — including Genesis making its maiden Le Mans appearance following a positive WEC debut. Former Alpine Formula 1 driver Jack Doohan joins the LMP2 field with Nielsen Racing among the notable additions to the 186-driver grid. The 19-car LMP2 and 25-car LMGT3 fields are also confirmed, completing a capacity entry that ensures a fiercely competitive race at La Sarthe.
Sources: FIA WEC
BMW Leads WEC Manufacturers' Standings After Spa Sweep; Title Fight Wide Open
BMW M Team WRT's Spa 1-2 has dramatically reshuffled the 2026 FIA World Endurance Championship standings, elevating BMW to the top of the Hypercar manufacturers' table with 59 points — seven clear of Toyota on 52 and 17 ahead of Ferrari on 42. In the drivers' championship, René Rast and Robin Frijns lead on 35 points, nine clear of Toyota's #8 trio of Brendon Hartley, Ryō Hirakawa and Sébastien Buemi on 26 points. The #7 Toyota and #15 BMW share 25 points each in third and fourth. Le Mans next month carries bonus points, keeping all three manufacturers in genuine title contention.
Sources: Pit Debrief
The Strategic Gamble That Ended BMW's 27-Year WEC Winning Wait
BMW's maiden WEC Hypercar victory at Spa-Francorchamps was built on a strategic call that Team WRT — renowned for bold tactics in GT3 racing — executed perfectly. The #20 car of René Rast, Sheldon van der Linde and Robin Frijns made a deliberately short opening pit stop, running on a fundamentally different strategy to the Hypercar pack. Free from traffic and running in clean air, the BMW built an advantage of more than 50 seconds before a Virtual Safety Car neutralised the gap in the final two hours. The sister #15 BMW's conventional strategy then secured second, completing a 1-2 that no rival could answer.
Sources: Autosport
WEC Hypercar — Drivers
1. René Rast / Robin Frijns (#20 BMW) — 35 pts
2. B. Hartley / R. Hirakawa / S. Buemi (#8 Toyota) — 26 pts
3. Sheldon van der Linde (#20 BMW, Spa) — 25 pts
4. Kobayashi / Conway / de Vries (#7 Toyota) — 25 pts
WEC Hypercar — Manufacturers
1. BMW M Team WRT — 59 pts
2. Toyota GR — 52 pts
3. Ferrari AF Corse — 42 pts
IMSA GTP — Drivers
1. Laurin Heinrich / Tijmen van der Helm (#5 JDC Porsche) — leads by 21 pts
2. Jack Aitken / Earl Bamber / F. Vesti (#31 Cadillac)
3. Julien Andlauer / Felipe Nasr (#7 Porsche Penske)
IMSA GTP — Teams
1. Porsche (leads constructors)
2. Cadillac Whelen Racing (3 podiums in 4 rounds)
3. Porsche Penske Motorsport
Curated by JD · samwise.agency
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