Austin. The BMW M Hybrid V8 in Austin finished eighth in the Lone Star Le Mans, in a tough race for BMW M Team WRT during the second half of the season 2026 Endurance World Championship of the FIA (FIA WEC). The result was far from the expectations after a first half of the year marked by two victories and two second places.

In the Circuit of the Americas, the two BMW M Hybrid V8 had to content themselves with the eighth and twelfth position. Despite this, Robin Frijns and René Rast managed to retain the lead of the drivers 'standings, while the BMW M Motorsport continues to second in the constructors' championship.

BMW M Hybrid V8 in Austin: a complicated race

The intense heat and high humidity of Texas accounted for one of the main challenges for the teams during the six hours of competition. For BMW M Team WRT, the rhythm shown in Austin was far from achieved before the summer recess.

The BMW M Hybrid V8 number 15, piloted by Kevin Magnussen, Raffaele Marciello and Dries Vanthoor, he started from eleventh position. The team was able to move forward positions during the race thanks to an efficient strategy and a driving consistent.

The prototype came to be positioned within the first five positions and seemed to have a chance of getting a significant result. However, a period of safety car about 45 minutes from the end changed the landscape.

After the resumption, the BMW M Hybrid V8 number 15 was not able to maintain the pace of its main rivals. Finally, he crossed the line in eighth position and added some points to BMW M Motorsport.

“This was not the result we hoped for, but we knew before the race that it would be difficult here,” explained Dries Vanthoor. The belgian driver acknowledged that the team should analyze the reasons that lost his rhythm during the test, but noted as a positive aspect to have managed to score points.

The BMW M Hybrid V8 # 20 loses ground

The situation was even more complicated for the BMW M Hybrid V8 # 20, piloted by Robin Frijns, René Rast and Sheldon van der Linde.

The prototype of a BMW M Team WRT finished in twelfth position after suffering different difficulties during the race. Among them, a problem during a pit stop did lose several seconds and complicated still more their chances of finishing in the points.

Frijns explained that the pace of the BMW was not enough to fight with the leaders and noted that, even without the problem in the pits, the result would hardly have been higher than the sixth or seventh place.

However, the championship left a positive news for the crew of the number 20. The Toyota number 7 suffered an abandonment when he was leading the race and, thanks to this, Frijns and Rast retained the first place in the drivers ' standings.

BMW M Motorsport also maintains the second position in the constructors ' championship with 131 points, nine less than Toyota.

BMW M Team WRT recognizes an end of a difficult week

The result of Austin contrasted with the trajectory of BMW M Team WRT in the first half of the FIA WEC. Andreas Roos, head of BMW M Motorsport, acknowledged that the team expected a lot more of this appointment.

The head of BMW M Motorsport noted that neither of the two Hypercars managed to complete a race without problems and was considered a disappointment, the final positions of both cars, especially because of the importance of the points for the BMW M Hybrid V8 number 20.

Vincent Vosse, director of BMW M Team WRT, also described the weekend as complicated. The team did not find the needed rhythm with their Hypercars, but managed to keep the lead in the drivers ' championship and continue in the fight for the title of builders.

“That's racing sometimes,” said Vosse after a day in which the team had to settle with some points in the category Hypercar.

The abandonment of the Toyota # 7 has ended up being decisive for BMW. Although the outcome of Austin not allowed to BMW M Team WRT to increase their advantage, yes he avoided that his main rivals cut more ground in the drivers ' classification.

Problems for the BMW M4 GT3 EVO in LMGT3

The day was also positive for BMW M Team WRT in the category LMGT3. The two BMW M4 GT3 EVO had problems during the race and finished out of the points.

The car number 69, piloted by Anthony McIntosh, Parker Thompson and Dan Harper, suffered a minor collision during the first few laps. The incident caused a puncture and a significant amount of smoke in the cabin.

McIntosh had to return to the pits to make an emergency stop. In addition, the unscheduled stop resulted in a penalty and stop output.

Despite the difficulties, the BMW M4 GT3 EVO at number 69 starred in a major comeback and managed to finish in eleventh position.

The car number 32 had even more problems. Augusto Farfus, Sean Gelael and Darren Leung lost a considerable amount of time due to a long stop to repair a faulty sensor.

In addition, a penalty of two minutes for exceeding track limits. The BMW M4 GT3 EVO number 32 finally finished in sixteenth position.

BMW M Motorsport looks to Fuji

The Lone Star Le Mans left a result below expectations for BMW M Team WRT, but the season of the FIA WEC has much yet to be decided.

The leadership of Robin Frijns and René Rast represents one of the main positive aspects after Austin. BMW M Motorsport continues in the fight for the constructors ' championship, just nine points from Toyota.

Now, the goal will be to analyse the problems encountered in Texas and recover the performance shown during the first half of the championship.

In LMGT3, the team will also seek to leave behind a career marked by incidents and mechanical problems. Dan Harper highlighted the high temperatures and the wear of the tires as some of the factors that complicated the race of the BMW M4 GT3 EVO at number 69.

The next chance will come in Fuji, where BMW M Team WRT will seek to recover the pace and return to fight for positions of greater importance in the FIA WEC.

The Lone Star Le Mans was not the result that BMW M Motorsport expected to begin the second half of the season, but the situation in the championship is still favorable. With the leadership of riders still in the hands of Frijns and Rast, and a difference of only nine points against Toyota in the constructors, the fight by the titles continues to fully open.

Source: BMW Group