The official tests of the World Endurance Championship (WEC) known as the Prologue just recently took place at the Circuit Paul Ricard in Le Castellet. Though it is difficult to get an idea of the true value of the forces in play, these tests did give some clues about Audi, Porsche and Toyota. 

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McLaren Racing has named Mikkel Jensen as driver for its 2027 24 Hours of Le Mans entry and FIA World Endurance Championship campaign.

McLaren Racing will be fielding a Hypercar at the 24 Hours of Le Mans and in the FIA World Endurance Championship from 2027. The British manufacturer&nbsp;<a href="https://www.24h-lemans.com/en/news/2025-24-hours-of-le-mans-mclaren-introduces-the-world-to-its-hypercar-59772" target="_blank">took the wraps off</a> the twin-turbo V6 Hypercar&nbsp;with its Dallara-designed chassis at the 93rd 24 Hours of Le Mans. The time has come to constitute a driver crew. Mikkel Jensen is to race for the official McLaren United AS WEC Hypercar Team.

The 31-year-old&rsquo;s professional career began in 2017. He was rapidly successful in the various international GT classes and won European Le Mans Series and IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship titles at the wheel of prototypes, catching the eye of the Peugeot scouts who hired him to drive the 9X8 from 2023-5.

McLaren will spend 2026 developing its Hypercar. Mikkel Jensen has an important role to play in the programme. Meanwhile, he will be racing under the United Autosports banner in the Asian Le Mans Series and at the Rolex 24 at Daytona, round 1 of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.

Mikkel Jensen: &ldquo;I&rsquo;m extremely proud to be joining the World Championship-winning McLaren family and excited to be a part of its Hypercar project from the early stages. Stepping onto the boulevard at the McLaren Technology Centre gives me goosebumps &ndash; it not only brings to life how much history McLaren has in Formula 1 but the 1995 Le Mans-winning F1 GTR reminds me that we have an incredible endurance story to continue.&rdquo;

James Barclay, McLaren Endurance Racing&rsquo;s Team Principal: &ldquo;Announcing Mikkel is another important milestone in the formation of our newHypercar team. He has already proven himself as one of the most competitive and well-rounded sportscar racing drivers in the world and will bring with him a wealth of experience from the Hypercar category. 
We will enter the World Endurance Championship and Le Mans in what will arguably be the most-competitive season of all time. We are delighted to have a driver of Mikkel&rsquo;s calibre, experience and future potential. Like us, he is a true racer and is therefore a great fit with our philosophy on people and culture, which has been integral to McLaren Racing&rsquo;s world championship-winning success in Formula 1. OurWorld Endurance Championship team is coming together nicely and Mikkel is a fantastic addition.&rdquo;

McLaren Racing announces its first Hypercar driver

The 1976 24 Hours of Le Mans featured the second BMW 3.0 CSL Art Car, with a contrasting style to the previous year. After Alexander Calder’s explosion of colour came a black and white grid design by Frank Stella based on oversize graph paper.

The BMW 3.0 CSL by Frank Stella fielded at the 1976 24 Hours of Le Mans introduced a striking new Art Car: a technical drawing becoming a work of art as the car&rsquo;s livery.

Following on from the first Art Car, the <a href="https://www.24h-lemans.com/en/news/bmw-art-cars-at-the-24-hours-of-le-mans-bmw-3-0-csl-by-calder-the-pioneer-60204">BMW 3.0 CSL by Alexander Calder</a> fielded in 1975, BMW continued the series, offering racegoers a new artistic experience. Once again, the Bavarian manufacturer chose an American artist to design a livery. Motorsport aficionado Frank Stella was said to be delighted &ndash; honoured even &ndash; to accept the commission. Stella&rsquo;s design set colour aside to concentrate on structure.

<h2>An Art Car intended to attract attention</h2>

The distinctive black and white made the BMW 3.0 CSL stand out from the crowd, with the previous year&rsquo;s blocks of colour replaced by a reference to the squared paper used for technical drawing. The grid pattern highlighted the design of the car itself, as if it were wearing its structure on its bodywork. Applied by Walter Maurer, BMW&rsquo;s bodywork artist, the paintwork turned the 3.0 CSL into a fast-moving graphical object, in stark contrast to the many coloured liveries in the field. &ldquo;Painting cars, I think, is insanely difficult. You have to think of a new idea, and I didn&rsquo;t think of this idea. It was just luck. It was the first thing that I did, but it worked out quite well,&rdquo; said Stella.

The strict lines hint at the formidable machinery beneath. With 750hp, the BMW 3.0 CSL was quick, and required expert driving. In the hands of Brian Redman and Peter Gregg it lived up to its potential, clocking the eighth best time in qualifying. But Le Mans is unforgiving and an oil issue forced withdrawal from the race.The car was not necessarily destined to win Le Mans, but &ldquo;They just wanted to take the lead, so that they could be in the newspapers. [The car] turned out to be a bonanza, because black and white reproduces really well so it separated itself from the field, you could really see it in the photos. So, it really served its purpose.&rdquo;

<h2>The car on display for the 50th anniversary of R&eacute;tromobile</h2>

Frank Stella&rsquo;s career took a new turn thanks to the Art Car. A three-dimensional design was very different to flat surfaces. It fleshed out his work. &ldquo;The car must have had some influence because after that I tried to make shapes that were wavy and had more volume.&rdquo;

The BMW 3.0 CSL by Frank Stella confirmed the Art Car as an annual statement by BMW at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. As a reflection on volume, speed and perception, Stella&rsquo;s work confirmed the Art Car&rsquo;s status as part of the culture of the world&rsquo;s greatest endurance race.

In a tribute to a half-century of fantastic liveries, <a href="https://www.24h-lemans.com/en/news/all-seven-le-mans-bmw-art-cars-on-display-at-retromobile-2026-in-paris-60209">this year&rsquo;s R&eacute;tromobile show </a>(28 January to 1 February at Paris Expo Porte de Versailles) will be showcasing the seven 24 Hours of Le Mans BMW Art Cars, including the BMW 3.0 CSL by Frank Stella.

BMW Art Cars at the 24 Hours of Le Mans – BMW 3.0 CSL by Frank Stella: the graph

Lilou Wadoux is to pursue her collaboration with Ferrari as factory driver. With an IMSA title and several records already to her name, the Frenchwoman intends to continue making endurance racing history, 24 Hours of Le Mans included.

Ferrari has confirmed the renewal of Lilou Wadoux&rsquo;s contract for several years to come. Since she joined the manufacturer in 2023, she has become a rising star, winning the 2025 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship GTD class and earning several international podium places.

<h2>Already in the history books</h2>

Wadoux, who was born in the northern French town of Amiens on 10 April 2001 rapidly gained an international standing. Before joining Ferrari, she learned the ropes in the Peugeot Series in France and then competed at European level in the Alpine Elf Europe Cup. Her already impressive endurance career began in the FIA World Endurance Championship LMP2 class with Richard Mille Racing Team.

Since 2023, Wadoux has driven a Ferrari in 32 races, banking four wins and seven more top three finishes. She was 2025 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship GTD class champion, contributing to the manufacturer and team titles won by Ferrari and AF Corse. Lilou Wadoux was also the first woman to win a FIA WEC race since the championship began in 2012 &ndash; the 2023 TotalEnergies 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps in LMGTE Am.

She took part in the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2023 and 2025 at the wheel of the Ferrari 488 GTE and 296 LMGT3. Her 24 Hours of Le Mans performance proves she can hold her own in one of the world&rsquo;s most demanding endurance races, where technical mastery, strategy and physical resistance are all-important.

<h2>Ferrari&rsquo;s faith in the future</h2>

Antonello Coletta, Global Head of Ferrari Endurance and Corse Clienti: &quot;We are pleased to renew the collaboration with Lilou, who has now been part of the Ferrari family for three complete seasons. Over this three-year period our driver has shown significant growth, which has led her to achieve victories in different championships, as well as to win a title in a demanding and very important series such as the IMSA. We are confident the future will bring many more successes.&quot;

Lilou Wadoux:&quot;Continuing my journey with Ferrari makes me happy and proud. In my first three years as an official driver for the Prancing Horse I have always felt part of an extraordinary family. During this period, moreover, I achieved some important race successes and an IMSA title that means a great deal to me The aim is to continue along this path to achieve many more victories, continuing to write motorsport pages with Ferrari.&quot;

With noticeable performance in IMSA, Super GT in Japon and the FIA WEC, Lilou Wadoux has demonstrated the versatility and the grit that characterises great endurance drivers. The renewed Ferrari contract paves the way to victory on the world&rsquo;s circuits, including Le Mans.

Lilou Wadoux to continue her journey with Ferrari

Alpine Endurance Team has confirmed Victor Martins as their new recruit for the 94th 24 Hours of Le Mans (10-14 June 2026) and the 2026 FIA World Endurance Championship. The Frenchman’s first experience of the 24 Hours of Le Mans will be at the wheel of one of the two Alpine A424s entered in the Hypercar class.

Aged 24, Victor Martins comes to endurance racing after a successful spell in single-seaters. An Alpine Academy pupil, he has earned a seat in the Alpine A424 Hypercar following three seasons in Formula 2. 
He replaces Mick Schumacher who will compete in the 2026 IndyCar Series.

&ldquo;I&rsquo;m overjoyed to be joining the Alpine Endurance Team for 2026,&rdquo; said the 2022 Formula 3 champion, who did a test drive in the Alpine A424 in the 2024 FIA WEC Rookie Test in Bahrain. &ldquo;This will be my first 24 Hours of Le Mans and first FIA WEC. It&rsquo;s truly extraordinary. It&rsquo;s an important career milestone. I&rsquo;m grateful to Alpine for believing in me. We&rsquo;ll do all we can to put Alpine among the leaders.&rdquo;

Last October, Alpine Endurance Team announced that <a href="https://www.24h-lemans.com/en/news/antonio-felix-da-costa-set-to-join-alpine-s-fia-wec-programme-from-2026-60056">Ant&oacute;nio&nbsp;F&eacute;lix da Costa</a> had joined the team. The team&rsquo;s FIA WEC and 24 Hours of Le Mans squad is therefore composed of: Fr&eacute;d&eacute;ric Makowiecki, Jules Gounon, Charles Milesi, Ferdinand Habsburg, Ant&oacute;nio F&eacute;lix da Costa and Victor Martins.

Related story &ndash;&nbsp;<a href="https://www.24h-lemans.com/en/news/alpine-endurance-team-one-win-in-2025-how-many-in-2026-60143" target="_blank">Victory for Alpine Endurance Team. A sign of things to come in 2026?</a>

Alpine Endurance Team hires Victor Martins

The LM P1 class is comprised of nine cars in the World Endurance Championship (WEC) and at the 24 Hours of Le Mans (June 18th and 19th). Six hybrid cars will share the field - two Porsche 919 Hybrids, two Audi R18s and two Toyota TS050 Hybrids - in addition to Rebellion Racing&#39;s two R-One - AERs and ByKOLLES Racing&#39;s Team&#39;s CLM P1/01 AER.

	Check out this video of the main players, as well as Anthony Davidson (Toyota) and Timo Bernhard&#39;s (Porsche) reactions after the Prologue.

	The first WEC round will take place at Silverstone in the U.K. on April 17th. 
	&nbsp;

	<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/QRuIpEGkdwY?feature=oembed" width="480"></iframe>

	David Bristol / ACO - Translation by Nikki Ehrhardt / ACO

	Video: YouTube &ndash; FIA WEC 
	&nbsp;

24H LE MANS

WEC - Video presentation of the LM P1 class

Related News

McLaren Racing announces its first Hypercar driver

BMW Art Cars at the 24 Hours of Le Mans – BMW 3.0 CSL by Frank Stella: the graph

Lilou Wadoux to continue her journey with Ferrari

Alpine Endurance Team hires Victor Martins

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