LONE STAR LE MANS: TOYOTA AND BMW FIGHT FOR THE WEC LEAD
The FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) returns after the summer break. From 4 to 6 September, the series will race at the Circuit of The Americas in Austin, Texas, for the Lone Star Le Mans. The six-hour race opens the final part of the season, with three more rounds still to come after the American event.
TOYOTA AND BMW ARE SEPARATED BY FIVE POINTS
The manufacturers’ championship is very close. Toyota leads with 132 points, while BMW follows on 127. BMW closed the gap by winning the 6 Hours of São Paulo with the #15 car of Raffaele Marciello, Dries Vanthoor and Kevin Magnussen. Ferrari is third with 88 points, while Cadillac is fourth with 60.
The drivers’ standings are just as close. René Rast and Robin Frijns share the lead with Kamui Kobayashi, Mike Conway and Nyck De Vries of the Toyota #7. Both crews have 75 points, so the result in Austin could change the championship battle again.
BMW’s victory in São Paulo allowed the team to recover ground after a difficult Le Mans for Toyota. Ferrari, the reigning world champion, is still in the fight for the manufacturers’ title, but it needs to reduce the gap in the final four races.
CADILLAC LOOKS FOR ITS FIRST AUSTIN WIN IN WEC
The Lone Star Le Mans will also be a home race for Cadillac. The American manufacturer has not yet won at the COTA: Ferrari took the victory in 2024, while Porsche won in 2025. In Brazil, Cadillac achieved its best result of the season, with Will Stevens taking pole and the #12 finishing third, followed by the #38 in fourth.
The #12 will again be driven by Norman Nato and Will Stevens, with Ricky Taylor replacing Alex Lynn. The American driver, a two-time IMSA champion, will make his WEC season debut after racing with Cadillac Wayne Taylor Racing. Lynn is expected to return for the final two races in Barcelona and Monza.
The Circuit of The Americas is 5.513 km long and has 20 corners, including 11 left-handers and 9 right-handers. The track features major elevation changes, fast corners and slow sections, as well as the climb towards Turn 1, known as “Big Red”. The circuit is demanding on tyres and brakes, with Hypercars able to reach more than 315 km/h.
The circuit first hosted the WEC in 2013. Several current Hypercar drivers have already won in Austin, including Loïc Duval, Brendon Hartley, Robert Kubica, Yifei Ye, André Lotterer, Earl Bamber and Norman Nato.
CORVETTE LEADS THE LMGT3 CLASS
In LMGT3, the Corvette #33 of TF Sport arrives in Texas as the championship leader. Jonny Edgar leads the drivers’ standings with 76 points, ahead of the Porsche #92 of Yasser Shahin, Riccardo Pera and Richard Lietz, which has 49. Corvette will welcome back Nicky Catsburg, who missed São Paulo because of another commitment.
The Porsche #92 Manthey, meanwhile, will try to recover after a difficult performance at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Other cars to watch include the BMW #69 of Team WRT, with Anthony McIntosh, Parker Thompson and Dan Harper, and the Ferrari #21 VISTA AF Corse, driven by François Heriau, Simon Mann and Alessio Rovera.
Eduardo Barrichello will also return with the Aston Martin #23 Heart of Racing. The Brazilian driver missed the São Paulo race, while the American team will try to improve on its result from the previous round.
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