Samwise Sportscar & Endurance Newsletter
Thursday, June 18, 2026
Ferrari Points to “Unbalanced” Hypercar Field After Le Mans Struggles
Ferrari has attributed its below-par 2026 Le Mans 24 Hours result to what the manufacturer describes as an “unbalanced” Hypercar field. Mauro Barbieri, Ferrari's endurance chief designer, suggested the Scuderia was handicapped by an inferior Balance of Performance allocation, without explicitly mentioning the system. The best of the three Ferrari 499Ps, the No. 51 shared by Alessandro Pier Guidi, James Calado and Antonio Giovinazzi, finished fifth — more than two minutes behind the winning No. 8 Toyota. Barbieri insisted Ferrari executed a perfect race and that fifth was the maximum the car could achieve, with the manufacturer losing time in low-speed corners rather than on straights.
Sources: Motorsport.com
Kobayashi Reveals Le Mans Winner Ran in “Safe Mode” After Driveshaft Sensor Fault
The No. 7 Toyota TR010 Hybrid that won the 2026 24 Hours of Le Mans was compromised by a driveshaft sensor fault that forced the car to run in back-up mode, costing it as much as 8 km/h in top speed. Toyota technical director David Floury confirmed the issue first appeared on Saturday night and could not be fully resolved. After analysing data, the team identified the conditions triggering default mode and briefed the drivers to avoid them. Kamui Kobayashi confirmed the challenge post-race, noting the sensor problem improved in the final hours — allowing the No. 7 to push for the lead and hold off BMW by 10.9 seconds.
Sources: Sportscar365
Conway, Kobayashi and De Vries Lead WEC Hypercar Drivers' Title Hunt with Five Rounds Remaining
Toyota's Le Mans victory has vaulted Kamui Kobayashi, Mike Conway and Nyck de Vries to the top of the 2026 WEC Hypercar Drivers' Championship with 75 points. BMW's René Rast and Robin Frijns sit four points behind on 71, while team-mate Sheldon van der Linde is third on 61. The Toyota crew of Brendon Hartley, Ryo Hirakawa and Sébastien Buemi lie fourth on 56 points. Ferrari's trio of Pier Guidi, Calado and Giovinazzi have dropped to fifth on 39. Toyota also leads the Manufacturers' Championship on 132 points, 36 clear of BMW, with five rounds remaining in the eight-round season.
Sources: AutoHebdo F1
IMSA Releases Record 54-Car Entry List for Sahlen's Six Hours of The Glen
IMSA has confirmed a 54-car entry for the Sahlen's Six Hours of The Glen at Watkins Glen International, New York, scheduled for June 25–28. The field spans 11 GTP and 11 LMP2 entries, 12 GTD Pro and 20 GTD cars. The race is the third of five rounds in the IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup and marks the halfway point of the 11-round 2026 WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season. Returning endurance-specific teams include Manthey and AF Corse USA, both with adjusted lineups. The Six Hours of The Glen is a traditional summer showcase for the series on one of North America's most celebrated road courses.
Sources: IMSA.com
Multiple Driver Changes Shake Up Watkins Glen Field as Spa Scheduling Clash Bites
A scheduling overlap with the 24 Hours of Spa has triggered driver changes for the Sahlen's Six Hours of The Glen. Laurin Heinrich, the GTP championship runner-up, will now contest Watkins Glen in the No. 5 JDC-Miller Motorsports Porsche 963 alongside Tijmen van der Helm and Kaylen Frederick, reversing an earlier plan to miss the race. At Manthey, Loek Hartog and Michael Christensen join Klaus Bachler in the No. 911 GTD Pro Porsche; Hartog makes his IMSA WeatherTech debut. Richard Lietz replaces Morris Schuring in the No. 912. At Meyer Shank Racing, Kaku Ohta returns alongside Nick Yelloly and Renger van der Zande in the No. 93 Acura ARX-06.
Sources: IMSA.com
CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa Fields Exceptional 70-Car GT3 Grid with Ten Manufacturers
The 2026 CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa, set for June 24–28 at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, has attracted a 70-car GT3 entry representing ten manufacturers. The field of more than 250 drivers spans 43 nationalities and five continents, with 15 former winners in the entry. Notable names include two-time winner Jules Gounon driving for Verstappen Racing, Valentino Rossi, Arthur Leclerc, Raffaele Marciello, and the four winners of the Nürburgring 24 Hours — Maxime Martin, Luca Stolz, Maro Engel and Fabian Schiller. The event is also a round of the Intercontinental GT Challenge. Manufacturers Aston Martin, Audi, BMW, Chevrolet, Ferrari, Ford, Lamborghini, McLaren, Mercedes-AMG and Porsche are all represented.
Sources: GT World Challenge Europe
WEC Hypercar — Drivers
1. Kobayashi / Conway / de Vries — 75 pts
2. Rast / Frijns — 71 pts
3. van der Linde — 61 pts
4. Hartley / Hirakawa / Buemi — 56 pts
5. Pier Guidi / Giovinazzi / Calado — 39 pts
6. da Costa / Milesi / Habsburg — 28 pts
7. Deletraz / Nato / Stevens — 26 pts
8. Magnussen / Marciello — 25 pts
9. Fuoco / Molina / Nielsen — 23 pts
10. Tincknell / Gamble — 22 pts
11. Hanson / Kubica / Ye — 21 pts
12. Vanthoor — 19 pts
WEC Hypercar — Teams
1. Toyota — 132 pts
2. BMW — 96 pts
3. Ferrari — 62 pts
4. Alpine — 38 pts
5. Cadillac — 32 pts
6. Aston Martin — 26 pts
7. Péugeot — 15 pts
8. Genesis — 6 pts
IMSA GTP — Drivers
1. Aitken — 1,760 pts
2. Heinrich — 1,616 pts
3. Nasr / Andlauer — 1,606 pts
4. Yelloly / van der Zande — 1,552 pts
5. Estre / Vanthoor (L.) — 1,501 pts
6. Bamber — 1,412 pts
7. Braun / Blomqvist — 1,391 pts
8. D. Vanthoor / S. van der Linde — 1,385 pts
9. Wittmann / Eng — 1,383 pts
10. van der Helm — 1,379 pts
IMSA GTP — Teams
1. Cadillac — 1,797 pts
2. Porsche — 1,772 pts
3. Acura — 1,676 pts
4. BMW — 1,628 pts
5. Aston Martin — 1 pts
Curated by JD · samwise.agency
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