WEC 2026

The 2026 FIA World Endurance Championship is the fourteenth season of the series, and it arrives with eight manufacturers fighting for Hypercar honours across eight rounds spanning five continents. The departure of Porsche at the end of 2025, offset by the arrival of Genesis Magma Racing, has reshaped the grid significantly. With 17 Hypercars on the entry list, the field is smaller than recent seasons but arguably the most competitive ever assembled.

The season did not begin as planned. The opening round at Qatar's Lusail International Circuit was postponed in March 2026 due to the conflict in the Middle East. The 6 Hours of Imola stepped up as the new season opener, and the Qatar 1812 km was rescheduled to October, turning it into the penultimate round of the year.

Imola on 19 April delivered an early statement from Toyota Racing, whose rebranded TR010 Hybrid took victory on its competitive debut. The win came after a significant aerodynamic overhaul, with the front end, sidepods and rear wing all redesigned under the team's evo allocation.

Round 2 at Spa-Francorchamps on 9 May brought a historic moment: BMW M Team WRT claimed an overall WEC victory.

The 94th 24 Hours of Le Mans anchors the season, with the race on Saturday 13 June. A total of 62 cars are entered, including 18 Hypercars across all eight competing manufacturers. Ferrari arrives carrying the weight of expectation: the Prancing Horse won the previous three editions in 2023, 2024 and 2025, making them three-time consecutive Le Mans champions.

One of the most compelling storylines at Le Mans is the debut of Genesis Magma Racing in the Hypercar class. The South Korean manufacturer, backed by Hyundai, enters two GMR-001 prototypes and becomes the first Korean team to start the 24-hour race.

The biggest structural change to the 2026 grid is Porsche's absence. After three seasons with the 963, Porsche Penske Motorsport confirmed in October 2025 that it would withdraw from the WEC, citing financial losses. Porsche continues in IMSA's GTP class, leaving the WEC Hypercar class without Porsche for the first time since the manufacturer joined in 2023.

After Le Mans, the championship travels to Interlagos in Brazil on 12 July, then to Circuit of the Americas in Austin on 6 September and Fuji Speedway near Tokyo on 27 September before the rescheduled Qatar round in October. Bahrain on 7 November closes the season. For fans in London, Le Mans traditionally starts at 15:00 BST on Saturday. Viewers in New York typically pick up the action from 10:00 EDT.