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WEC Resumes in Texas With Deadlocked Hypercar Fight and Unconquered COTA Form
The FIA World Endurance Championship returns from its summer break with tied Drivers' standings and a narrow manufacturer battle as Toyota and BMW chase an elusive maiden victory in Austin.
By Michael de Vries - 2026-09-02T15:11:00.000Z - 3 min read
Austin’s Circuit of The Americas hosts the resumption of the FIA World Endurance Championship this weekend as Lone Star Le Mans launches the second half of the 2026 campaign. The six-hour contest marks the series' 15th visit to North America and the 40th race for the headlining Hypercar class, setting up an intense restart following the mid-season break.
Competitive parity defines the premier category heading into Texas. The Drivers' World Championship arrives deadlocked at the summit, while Toyota defends a slender five-point margin over BMW in the Manufacturers' table. Both marques have collected two victories apiece this season, yet neither constructor has ever taken an outright win at the 5.513-kilometre anti-clockwise circuit.
Breaking that drought will require overcoming a venue known for severe physical demands. With 20 turns, abrasive asphalt, and notorious surface bumps, COTA has developed a car-breaking reputation, claiming eight non-finishers in 2024 and seven in 2025. Whether the current prototype field can withstand the punishing layout across six hours remains unconfirmed until track running begins.
Toyota relies on proven Austin experience despite its winless record as a manufacturer. Brendon Hartley previously captured three consecutive victories at COTA between 2015 and 2017 with Porsche, while Sébastien Buemi and Mike Conway remain the only drivers to have started every previous WEC round at the facility. BMW counters with past pace of its own, with Sheldon van der Linde—sharing the #20 M Hybrid V8 with points leaders René Rast and Robin Frijns—having topped second practice here last year.
Ferrari represents the primary threat to both front-runners. The Italian manufacturer boasts a 50 per cent podium finishing rate at COTA and swept the front row in qualifying in both 2024 and 2025. Securing track position is historically essential in Texas, where no crew has ever won overall from lower than fourth on the grid, and Ferrari enters determined to halt its longest-ever winless streak across all WEC classes.
Cadillac also looks to disrupt the title contenders on home soil. Operating via JOTA, the V-Series.R squad arrives following its first podium in twelve months at Interlagos, bolstered by former Austin winners Norman Nato and Earl Bamber alongside two-time IMSA champion Ricky Taylor. In the Peugeot camp, team leader Loïc Duval returns to the circuit where he scored an inaugural 2013 win and still holds the official lap record.
The LMGT3 division presents an equally volatile picture. Corvette leads the standings after consecutive triumphs at Le Mans and São Paulo, but the American manufacturer still searches for its first home win. With British marques having claimed both previous class rounds at COTA and no pole-sitter having scored points in 2026, the competitive hierarchy across both categories awaits its first true test when practice opens on Friday.