Five things to look out for in WEC’s Lone Star Le Mans

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Five things to look out for in WEC’s Lone Star Le Mans

Rachit Thukral

Fri, September 4, 2026 at 11:28 AM UTC ·

5 min read

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Following a near-two-month summer break, the World Endurance Championship returns to action this weekend, with Lone Star Le Mans marking the start of the second half of the season.

Porsche is the most successful manufacturer at the Circuit of The Americas, but its exit from the Hypercar class has blown the victory fight in Texas wide open.

With four races scheduled in just over two months, the championship is set to intensify, leaving little margin for error. Here are five things to look out for in this weekend's WEC race at Austin.

Toyota versus BMW

#7 Toyota Racing Toyota TR010 Hybrid: Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi, Nyck De Vries

At the halfway point of the season, Toyota and BMW's leading crews are tied at the top of the drivers' standings. After introducing sizeable updates to their respective prototypes over the winter, the two manufacturers have emerged as the class of the Hypercar field this year, winning all four races between them.

Whether they will be just as competitive in Austin will ultimately depend on the Balance of Performance, which is no longer disclosed to the public, but both have the potential to emerge as strong contenders.

Toyota will be keen to prove that its non-points finish in Sao Paulo was a one-off, as it aims to rediscover the form that saw it win the Imola season opener and return to the victory lane at Le Mans. Curiously, Toyota has never won a race at Austin during the championship's eight visits across LMP1 and Hypercar eras.

Meanwhile, BMW is enjoying its best run in the WEC, and another strong result would serve as a big boost to its championship hopes. Having finished first, second and first in the last three events, it is currently the most in-form manufacturer in Hypercar.

Can Ferrari bounce back?

#83 AF Corse Ferrari 499P: Robert Kubica, Yifei Ye, Philip Hanson

Last year, Ferrari was unbeaten in the first half of the season, winning four races on the trot. This year, it is yet to register a race win in Hypercar. But if there is one track where it can mount a winning comeback, it is Austin.

Ferrari's track record at COTA speaks for itself. When the WEC returned to Texas in 2024, Ferrari locked out the front row and then dominated the race, finishing first and third. Even last year, the 499P proved to be the car to beat in qualifying, before finishing second on Sunday.

A big result would bring the #51 crew of Alessandro Pier Guidi , James Calado and Antonio Giovinazzi back in the championship fight, with just 18 points separating them from the top of the table.

Ferrari is aware it needs to start clawing back points from this weekend; with the bonus-points Qatar and Bahrain races replaced by six-hour fixtures in Barcelona and Monza, it now has fewer opportunities to make up ground in the championship fight.

Cadillac's search for a breakthrough

#12 Cadillac Hertz Team Jota Cadillac V-Series.R: Will Stevens, Norman Nato

A lot will be riding on Cadillac as it tackles the fourth round of the 2026 WEC at the Circuit of The Americas. Since the American marque entered the Hypercar class in 2023 with the V-Series.R, it has yet to score a podium on home soil – whether at Sebring or Austin.

However, the factory Jota team is coming on the back of a promising – if ultimately disappointing – weekend at Sao Paulo, where its two cars locked out the front row and finished third and fourth in the race.

Cadillac has also been boosted by the arrival of Ricky Taylor, fresh off his win at Road America, substituting for an injured Alex Lynn .

With sunny conditions forecast for Sunday, the General Motors marque will be hoping to fully capitalise on the potential it showed at both Le Mans and Sao Paulo.

Logan Sargeant's return to Austin

Logan Sargeant

This weekend's Lone Star Le Mans will be a significant race for Logan Sargeant, as he returns to the track where he scored his first and only points finish in Formula 1. But unlike in 2023, when he raced for the Britain-based Williams team, he will be representing American carmaker Ford - albeit via its German-owned customer outfit Proton.

Sargeant has already been impressing his Ford bosses with his work in the LMDh test programme, but he's still got a big task ahead of him as he completes his first season in the LMGT3 ranks.

The 25-year-old is coming on the back of a strong result in Brazil, where he and team-mates Stefano Gattuso and Giammarco Levorato claimed a season-best fifth-place.

Can anyone stop Corvette on home turf?

#33 TF Sport Corvette Z06 LMGT3.R: Blake Mcdonald, Jonny Edgar, Nicky Catsburg

Corvette heads into its home race with a significant lead in the LMGT3 standings, partly due to its victory at Le Mans. The Corvette Z06 GT3.R has enjoyed a strong run of form this year in the hands of the TF Sport team, ending Porsche's dominance of a class that was formed in 2024.

While the success ballast makes another victory unlikely, both TF Sport and Corvette know scoring big points in the middle part of the season is crucial for their championship hopes, especially with Manthey Porsche showing strong consistency this year.

The race will also be special for Texas-born Ben Keating , who is still chasing a first victory on home turf in WEC.