BMW M Motorsport

BMW returned to top-level endurance racing as a works team in 2024 under the BMW M Team WRT banner, a collaboration between BMW M Motorsport and the Belgian outfit WRT, one of the most experienced privateer operations in endurance racing. The car, the BMW M Hybrid V8, is an LMDh machine built on a Dallara chassis and powered by a BMW-developed V8 hybrid powertrain. After a competitive but winless 2025 campaign, the team arrived at the 2026 season with a point to prove.

They proved it emphatically at the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps in May 2026. The team used an aggressive short-fuelling strategy during the opening pit stop cycle to vault Rene Rast into the lead of the number 20 car. From there, the team managed both entries through to the flag at the Belgian circuit. At the flag, the number 20 of Robin Frijns, Rene Rast, and Sheldon van der Linde crossed first, with the number 15 of Kevin Magnussen, Raffaele Marciello, and Dries Vanthoor completing a 1-2 finish. It was BMW's first overall win in an ACO-rules race since the 1999 24 Hours of Le Mans, a wait of 27 years.

The result ended one of motorsport's longest victory droughts and validated the partnership between BMW M Motorsport and WRT. WRT brought chassis management expertise and race-craft depth; BMW brought factory engineering resources and the weight of a storied racing heritage. Together they have built what early 2026 results suggest is a genuine title contender.

The BMW M Hybrid V8 is expected to receive further aero development through the season as the team targets Le Mans for the first time as a realistic race winner. Both driver line-ups are strong on outright pace, and the Spa result demonstrated that the team is prepared to take calculated strategic risks when conditions demand it.