24h Le Mans
The Portimão round of the European Le Mans Series, the last in the 2026 season, will decide the outcome of the championship. Aside from the title, the 47 competitors will be vying for an invitation to compete in the 2027 24 Hours of Le Mans.
The season hangs on the last four hours. This weekend, the European Le Mans Series heads to the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve for the sixth and last round of the season. The 47 cars on the grid, divided into four categories, will be jostling for position. There are ELMS titles to be claimed, and with them, the opportunity to take part in the 95th 24 Hours of Le Mans, 9–13 June 2027. The pecking order in all four classes – LMP2, LMP2 Pro/Am, LMP3 and LMGT3 – remains undecided.
Check out the provisional entry list for the 2026 4 Hours of Portimão.
In LMP2, the battle for the title is a head-to-head between the #22 Oreca 07-Gibson of United Autosports in the hands of Grégoire Saucy, Griffin Peebles and Ben Hanley, and the #45 Oreca of Forestier Racing by Panis driven by Louis Rousset, Esteban Masson and Oliver Gray. Their 13-point lead gives United Autosports the advantage, especially as they can be sure of an invitation to next year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Forestier Racing by Panis need to finish in the top five to lay hands on the second invitation.
Several teams could cause an upset. The #25 Algarve Pro Racing Oreca of Matthias Kaiser, Jake Hughes and Alex Lynn (replacing Ben Barnicoat) could overtake the French team. So could the #18 IDEC Sport of Jamie Chadwick, Valerio Rinicella and Laurents Hörr and the #34 Inter Europol Competition shared by Reshad de Gerus and Bijoy Garg.
This year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans LMP2 winners Nick Yelloly, Tom Dillmann and Kuba Smiechowski in the #43 Inter Europol Competition are not in a position to take the title but will be looking to finish on a high note. Also watch out for Paul Lafargue, Job Van Uitert and Paul-Loup Chatin (#28 IDEC Sport) who claimed their second podium place of the season at Silverstone.
In LMP2 Pro/Am there is even more suspense. On paper, eight crews are still in the running for the championship title, and only six points separate the top four.
AF Corse heads the table, with a five-point lead. François Perrodo and Matthieu Vaxiviere are aiming for their third title in four years, while Antonio Fuoco, winner of the 2024 24 Hours of Le Mans, is in a position to add another ELMS crown to his silver cabinet.
However, TDS Racing are raring to go. Steven Thomas, Sami Meguetounif and Scott Huffaker II achieved an excellent result at Silverstone, banking 26 points to take second place, with a total of 62.
Algarve Pro Racing is only one point behind, neck and neck with the #30 Duqueine Team. Having triumphed in Barcelona, the Portuguese team and drivers Michael Jensen, Enzo Trulli and Malthe Jakobsen would be overjoyed to win at home.
The championship title is within the reach of Vector Sport, Rossa Racing by Virage, AO Racing and United Autosports. With 45 points, defending champions PJ Hyett, Louis Delétraz and Dane Cameron need a win to retain their title. Daniel Schneider, Marino Sato and Oliver Jarvis (#21 United Autosports) also need to win the race to have a chance of winning the championship.
Looking at the LMP3 rankings, three crews are in a position to win the championship. CLX Motorsport has a nine-point lead over R-ace GP.
Paul Lanchère, Alexander Jacoby and Louis Iglesias have amassed 84 points thanks to victories at Imola and Spa-Francorchamps, and a second place at Silverstone. R-ace GP and drivers Fabien Michel, Pierre-Alexandre Provost and Hugo Schwarze finally won a race, at Silverstone, and remain in the running.
On paper, Rinaldi Racing still have a chance with the #5 Ligier driven by José Fernandes Cautela, Alvise Rodella and Mikkel Gaarde Pedersen. However, they are 25 points behind CLX Motorsport and winning the title hinges not only on winning the race, but on their opponents having a particularly bad day.
The winner of LMP3 will also receive an invitation to compete in the LMP2 class at the 2027 24 Hours of Le Mans. The seven other teams competing at Portimão are sure to want a positive end to their season too.
The LMGT3 class is particularly evenly matched. Of the 14 cars entered, six crews could still win the class championship.
TEAM Qatar by Iron Lynx took the lead after its first win at Silverstone. The #62 Mercedes-AMG of Abdulla Ali Al-Khelaifi, Julien Hanses and Ralf Aron boasts a total of 73 points – three more than reigning champions TF Sport.
A win this weekend would be enough for the #33 driven by Alec Udell, Blake McDonald and Charlie Eastwood to retain the title.
The two Proton Competition Porsche 911 GT3 R LMGT3s are not far behind. The #77 of Martin Berry, Huub Van Eijndhoven and Harry King has 62 points, and the #75 has 61, thanks to a win in Barcelona for Matt Kurzejewski, Thomas Sargent and Richard Lietz.
Kessel Racing and GR Racing also need a win to have a hope of claiming the championship. The Ferrari #57 of Takeshi Kimura, Mathys Jaubert and Daniel Serra is 21 points behind the leader, and the Ferrari #86 of Michael Wainwright, Lorcan Hanafin and Mex Jansen has 23 points to make up.
However, there are 26 points available, so everything is possible at Portimão.
The chequered flag will signal the end of the race, and the result of the 2026 European Le Mans Series. Portimão will also decide who goes to Le Mans: the champions and vice-champions of LMP2, and the winners of LMP2 Pro/Am, LMP3 and LMGT3 all earn an invitation to the 2027 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Race fans can tune into free live coverage of the 4 Hours of Portimão, the last round of the 2026 European Le Mans Series on FIAWEC+, the official endurance streaming platform. ELMS season highlights and replays are available too. Head to FIAWEC+ to watch the 2026 season finale.
