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This modern and welcoming space is the ideal place to relax while you watch the action on the track. It has a lovely restaurant and a vast terrace that offers stunning views of the famous Corvette Corner. You can even head to the entertainment area on the ground floor, which is equipped with driving simulators, dart boards, a pool table and a host of other activities to keep everyone entertained.

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From the grandstand, let yourself be transported by the spectacle on the track: cars skimming the kerbs, the excitement of the start ceremony... An ideal experience to enjoy the magic of the 24 Hours of Le Mans and savour the atmosphere !

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In a prime location right by the paddocks and pitlane building, the Le Mans Spirit Club - official FIA WORLD ENDURANCE CHAMPIONSHIP hospitality - opens out onto a stunning terrace with outstanding views of the legendary Motul Raccordement Corner. Interested in this VIP package for another FIA World Endurance Championship race? Book now by <a href="https://www.fiawec.com/en/page/welcome-to-our-world/2" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">clicking here</a>

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An exclusive outdoor space allows you to watch the action on the circuit while revelling in the race's characteristic atmosphere. Throughout the day and night, our high-class services and activity schedule keep you entertained for a truly unforgettable event.

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Step behind the scenes of this thrilling event, savour the moment in our high-class reception areas and enjoy a carefully-orchestrated event that combines elegance with excitement. From sunrise to sunset, a full schedule of activities will be rolled out just for you, to fully immerse you in the thrill of the race.

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Discover a Vip experience in the heart of the race. Enjoy a unique moment, with the best views of the track, day and night. Enter the legend.

Hospitality

Four rounds in, the European Le Mans Series is still wide open ahead of the next fixture, the Goodyear 4 Hours of Silverstone this coming Sunday (13 September). A shake-up remains possible in all classes, from LMP2 to LMGT3, before the final showdown in Portimão.

With two races to go, this year&rsquo;s European Le Mans Series championship is undecided. All 47 crews on the Goodyear&nbsp;4 Hours of Silverstone grid head to the famous British circuit with the intention of making their mark and earning precious points that could make all the difference in the race to the top. With small gaps separating the teams in all four classes&thinsp;&ndash;&thinsp;LMP2, LMP2 Pro/Am, LMP3 and LMGT3&thinsp;&ndash;&thinsp;round five could be decisive.

Check out the <a href="https://www.fiawec.com/umbrella_media/2026-elms-goodyear-4-hours-of-silverstone-entry-list-v1-6a97d40808e8f631224570.pdf" target="_blank">full entry list</a> for the 2026 Goodyear 4 Hours of Silverstone.

<h2>LMP2: Forestier Racing by Panis and United Autosports neck and neck</h2>

It&rsquo;s tiebreak time! Forestier Racing by Panis and United Autosports have 70 points apiece. However, the crew of the #29 Oreca&nbsp;07-Gibson, Oliver Gray, Esteban Masson and Louis Rousset have the advantage. Thanks to their wins at Barcelona and Imola, they currently stand in first place ahead of the United Autosports team, who won Le Castellet.

But the battle for the top spot involves more than two crews. The IDEC sport #18 in the hands of Jamie Chadwick, Valerio Rinicella and Laurents H&ouml;rr stands third on 52 points. After three fourth places in a row, the crew finally made the podium at Spa-Francorchamps, with the pole position point as a bonus.

Winners of the 4 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps, Jakub Smiechowski, Nick Yelloly and Tom Dillmann come to Silverstone with plenty to say for themselves. They trail the leaders by 28 points, but will be determined to confirm their return to form. British driver Nick Yelloly will be keen to make an impression on home ground. The car was second at Silverstone last year.

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<h2>LMP2 Pro/Am: who will take the upper hand?</h2>

There is no distinct favourite in this class either. Algarve Pro Racing and AF Corse tie on 61 points. The #20 Oreca of Michael Jensen, Enzo Trulli and Malthe Jakobsen ranks first thanks to the number of podiums this season. However, the AF Corse #83 driven by Fran&ccedil;ois Perrodo, Matthieu Vaxiviere and Antonio Fuoco is now a hair&rsquo;s breadth away thanks to victory at Spa-Francorchamps.

Behind them, Vector Sport and Duqueine Team have 49 points each. In other words, victory or DNF for one of the top two could completely shake up the rankings. The slightest mistake carries a high price tag.

Silverstone will also be a decisive round for AO by TF. Reigning champions, PJ Hyett, Louis Del&eacute;traz and Dane Cameron lie fifth and no doubt have their eye on a podium place. Last year at Silverstone, they missed the win by just 0.141 seconds.

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<h2>LMP3: CLX Motorsport could streak ahead</h2>

The situation in LMP3 is different. On 65 points, CLX Motorsport has a 15-point lead over R-ace GP. Paul Lanch&egrave;re, Alexander Jacoby and Louis Iglesias have won the last two races and come to Silverstone in an ideal position.

All the same, they should watch their backs! At the wheel of the R-ace GP #85 Duqueine, Fabien Michal, Pierre-Alexandre Provost and Hugo Schwarz have a current score of 50. Rinaldi Racing is just behind, on 49 points, with the rest of the places to be closely fought.

At Silverstone&nbsp;CLX Motorsport has a chance to forge ahead and put a serious option on the championship win. The Swiss team will be all-out to snatch a third win to widen the gap and have some breathing space ahead of the final race in Portim&atilde;o.

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<h2>LMGT3: 13 points between the top six</h2>

Anything could happen in LMGT3 this season. After four rounds, there are only 13 points between the top six crews, and 52 points still to be awarded before the end of the season.

The Proton Competition #75 Porsche Porsche&nbsp;911 GT3 R&nbsp;LMGT3 tops the tables on 53 points. Matt Kurzejewski, Thomas Sargent and Richard Lietz regained the lead at Spa-Francorchamps, but the TF Sport #33 Corvette&nbsp;Z06 LMGT3.R is not far behind.

The reigning champions will be out to shine before their home crowd. Charlie Eastwood, Blake McDonald and Alec Udell will be seeking to place the Corvette first this round. However, the TF Sport crew will have competition from Team Qatar by Iron Lynx, Proton Competition, GR Racing and Kessel Racing&thinsp;&ndash;&thinsp;all still in the running for the championship crown.

LMGT3 is the biggest class on the grid, with six constructors fielding a total of fourteen cars.

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<h2>Watch the race live on the FIAWEC+ application</h2>

So with everything still to race for, the Goodyear 4 Hours of Silverstone could decide the season&rsquo;s outcome. Round 5 of the European Le Mans Series is not the grand finale, but it could be here that the championship is won or lost.

The race itself will start at noon on Sunday 13 September.

To watch the Goodyear 4 Hours of Silverstone&nbsp;2026 live, head to&nbsp;<a href="https://plus.fiawec.com/fr/european-le-mans-series" target="_blank">FIAWEC+</a>, the official endurance streaming platform. All European Le Mans Series are free to view, including live coverage, replays and season highlights.

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&nbsp;

ELMS 4 Hours of Silverstone: four titles still for the taking

The FIA World Endurance Championship has a new participant: Robert Shwartzman. The 26-year-old joins Team Peugeot TotalEnergies as factory driver for the 2027 season, at the wheel of the Peugeot 9X8. A new turn in an already glittering career.

Robert Shwartzman joins the FIA WEC and will take part in the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2027 under the Team Peugeot TotalEnergies banner. FIA Formula Two vice champion and ex-Formula&nbsp;1 reserve driver, Shwartzman will be a full-time member of the French team. His new role marks a return to endurance racing, the discipline that saw him shine in 2024, when he won his first race at the wheel of a Hypercar.

<h2>Formula&nbsp;2, Hypercar, IndyCar</h2>

Robert Shwartzman&rsquo;s career is a succession of challenges. He began go-karting aged five and climbed the single-seater ladder step by step, winning the FIA Formula&nbsp;3 championship in 2019. Two years, two wins and eight podium places later, he became FIA Formula&nbsp;2 vice champion.

The result earned Israeli/Russian Schwarzman a seat as Formula&nbsp;1 reserve driver. Then, in 2023, he turned to endurance racing, starting in the GT class. The switch turned heads. Invited to take part in the FIA WEC Rookie Test in Bahrain, Shwartzman was fastest overall. 
A few months later, he confirmed his potential in top-class endurance racing, winning the 2024 Lone Star Le Mans at the wheel of the AF Corse #83 Ferrari&nbsp;499P.

In 2025, Robert Shwartzman crossed the Atlantic to take on another monument of the motorsport world: the IndyCar Series. He made his mark by taking pole position at the emblematic Indianapolis&nbsp;500, the first ever rookie to do so.

<h2>Peugeot welcomes a promising talent with a wealth of experience for 2027</h2>

Shwartzman returns to the WEC following two seasons in America. This time, he will be part of the Team Peugeot TotalEnergies full-season campaign.

The new recruit will take part in several test sessions at the wheel of the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.24h-lemans.com/en/news/the-peugeot-9x8-enters-its-next-phase-of-development-60920" target="_blank">Peugeot 9X8</a>,&nbsp;performing the groundwork for the coming season&nbsp;2027 in endurance.

&ldquo;Endurance racing is something I&rsquo;ve really missed over the past two seasons,&rdquo; says Shwartzman. &ldquo;From my very first discussions with the team, I felt genuinely welcomed and immediately part of the project, within a highly professional and ambitious environment. The 2027 programme is particularly exciting, and I can&rsquo;t wait to contribute to this new chapter and help write the next stages of the story together.&rdquo;

Emmanuel Esnault, Team Principal, Team Peugeot TotalEnergies, suggests the new hire was a logical choice: &ldquo;His natural speed, adaptability and maturity make him an ideal fit for our project.&rdquo;

So, roll on 2027. With a driver who has already tasted victory in the FIA WEC, and a team ready to shift up a gear in the Hypercar class, there&rsquo;s a story waiting to be written. They will soon step into the limelight, but, in the meantime, there is work to be done behind the scenes, kilometres to clock up and adjustments to be made before taking the stage at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Robert Shwartzman joins Team Peugeot TotalEnergies for 2027

Following its annual summer break, the FIA World Endurance Championship will roar back into action at Austin’s Circuit of The Americas (COTA) in Texas this weekend (4-6 September), with Lone Star Le Mans set to deliver the next unmissable instalment of a sensational season.

Designed with the input of former motorcycling world champion Kevin Schwantz, COTA first welcomed FIA WEC in 2013 and is the most modern venue on the calendar. The track quickly established itself as a favourite amongst drivers and fans alike for its dramatic elevation changes, sweeping high-speed corners, slow technical sections, notorious bumps, a signature uphill climb into Turn 1 &ndash; known as &lsquo;Big Red&rsquo; &ndash; and the triple-apex right-hander that makes up Turns 16, 17 and 18.&nbsp;

Run in an anti-clockwise direction, the 5.513km, 20-turn lap is famously tough on tyres and brakes, with Hypercars reaching speeds in excess of 315km/h. What&rsquo;s more, while all 35 entries took the chequered flag two months ago in S&atilde;o Paulo, COTA has developed a reputation as a bit of a car-breaker in recent years, with eight crews failing to complete the 2024 race, and seven in 2025 &ndash; underscoring the circuit&rsquo;s demanding nature.

It also has a habit of generating memorable moments and breathtaking battles, with the 2017 event witnessing the series&rsquo; tightest-ever outright finish under green flag conditions at a slender 0.276 seconds. By the same token, the even slenderer 0.256-second margin of victory in LMGT3 last summer represented the closest finish in the production-based class to-date &ndash; and the closest in any category between two rival marques. One way or another, another epic encounter this weekend looks assured&hellip;&nbsp;

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<h2>Honours even in Hypercar at midway stage of season</h2>

The 2026 edition of Lone Star Le Mans marks FIA WEC&rsquo;s 15th trip to North America, 75th six-hour race and 40th contest in the headlining Hypercar category &ndash; and the hunt for honours could scarcely be more finely-poised, with a tie at the top of the Drivers&rsquo; World Championship table and a mere five points separating multiple title-holder Toyota from breakthrough brand BMW in the Manufacturers&rsquo; standings.

Both automotive icons have triumphed twice this season, but neither has ever prevailed at COTA. Indeed, the track is one of just four in FIA WEC history that Toyota has never conquered, though #8 driver Brendon Hartley won there three years in a row with Porsche from 2015 to 2017. Team-mate S&eacute;bastien Buemi and #7 stablemate Mike Conway, moreover, are the only drivers to have participated in every one of the series&rsquo; previous races at the circuit.&nbsp;

There is strong prior form in the BMW camp, too, with Sheldon van der Linde &ndash; who partners current championship leaders Ren&eacute; Rast and Robin Frijns in the #20 M Hybrid V8 &ndash; setting the fastest lap of the 2025 race weekend in Austin, during FP2.&nbsp;

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Cadillac arrives on home soil eager to maintain the positive momentum of its first podium finish in 12 months last time out at Interlagos, with the JOTA-run V-Series.R having proven a potent package in every round so far this year. Norman Nato and Earl Bamber are former overall winners at COTA &ndash; the New Zealander on his way to clinching the coveted world championship crown in 2017 &ndash; while two-time IMSA champion, Ricky Taylor will bolster the Anglo-American alliance&rsquo;s line-up this weekend.

Elsewhere in the fiercely-disputed Hypercar field, Peugeot reached the rostrum for the first time in 2025 in Texas, with the Lions&rsquo; team leader Lo&iuml;c Duval part of the triumphant crew in the race&rsquo;s inaugural running with Audi. The Frenchman has held the official lap record at the track since 2016.

While qualifying form has not always translated into race day results this season, at COTA &ndash; as at Interlagos &ndash; it could be a different story. The six-hour bout has never been won outright from lower than fourth on the grid, and six of the eight outings have yielded a single-marque front row lockout. In both 2024 and 2025, that marque was Ferrari, and the Prancing Horse will be targeting a similar performance again as it bids to haul itself back onto terms in the title fight.&nbsp;

At what has traditionally been a strong circuit for the 499P &ndash; with the Italian prototype boasting an impressive 50 per cent podium strike rate in the event, better than any of its Hypercar rivals &ndash; the defending world champions will be aiming to end their longest-ever winless streak in FIA WEC, all categories combined.

<h2>&#39;Vette chasing third straight victory in LMGT3</h2>

Corvette leads the way in LMGT3 at the mid-season stage, with the #33 Z06 having prevailed in the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the sister #34 entry then doing likewise in Brazil &ndash; marking the first time an American carmaker has entered its home round off the back of consecutive victories. The General Motors-owned brand, however, has yet to win on US soil, and has registered a solitary rostrum finish at COTA in FIA WEC, back in 2016.

Local hero Ben Keating &ndash; who hails from just outside of Houston &ndash; will assume the record for most FIA WEC starts by an American driver when he makes his 45th appearance this weekend. Only France and the UK have produced more competitors in the championship than the USA&rsquo;s total of 95, with eight on the entry list for Lone Star Le Mans, including ex-Formula 1 star, Logan Sargeant at Proton Competition. Five of them are already podium-visitors this year.

Both LMGT3 contests at COTA thus far have gone the way of British manufacturers, with McLaren celebrating its maiden win last season following a post-race penalty for the #54 VISTA AF Corse Ferrari. Twelve months earlier, Heart of Racing Team had triumphed in Texas &ndash; a result that remains the only LMGT3 victory achieved from pole position, and Aston Martin&rsquo;s sole success in the class to-date.

It also represented the most recent of the legendary British marque&rsquo;s ten podium-topping performances at the track &ndash; twice as many as any of its rivals. Like Ferrari, Aston Martin is currently enduring an unprecedented barren run, but it returns to Austin buoyed by back-to-back poles at La Sarthe and Interlagos.

In 2025, it was Proton Competition&rsquo;s pair of Ford Mustangs that dominated LMGT3 Hyperpole at COTA, although the American muscle cars have not started from the front row since. Notably, the category&rsquo;s pole position curse continues, with no subsequent pole-sitter having bettered the eighth-place finish posted by the #88 Mustang at COTA last summer &ndash; or, this year, having scored any points at all.

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<h2>Key info</h2>

The on-track sessions will begin with free practice on Friday, 4 September. Qualifying &ndash; and the Hyperpole top ten shootout &ndash; starts at 15:00 local time (GMT-5) on Saturday, 5 September, with the six-hour race getting underway at 13:00 local time (GMT-5) on Sunday, 6 September.&nbsp;

Check out all the <a href="https://www.fiawec.com/en/race/lone-star-le-mans-2026" target="_blank">key information</a> regarding Lone Star Le Mans, including the full event timetable and entry list.

All of FIA WEC. All of endurance racing&rsquo;s greatest battles. Watch live and on demand with FIAWEC+ &ndash; the official streaming platform of the FIA World Endurance Championship, wherever you are, whenever you want, including the legendary 24 Hours of Le Mans. <a href="https://plus.fiawec.com/en/fia-wec" target="_blank">Stream FIA WEC live</a> with FIAWEC+.

FIA WEC : COTA clash kick-starts second half of captivating campaign

This was not a shot in the dark. The Ford Hypercar’s first kilometres come after months of work on the engine, simulator and honing Ford Racing team procedures. Their journey to the 95th 24 Hours of Le Mans on 9–13 June 2027 has begun.

A Hypercar leaving the workshop for the first time, plus six drivers aiming for the same project goal amount to over 1,000 kilometres in three days. To an outsider, the Ford Hypercar&rsquo;s first date at the Paul Ricard circuit may seem like the beginning. In fact, it&rsquo;s the culmination of months of preparation. To get the car track ready, Ford Racing spent many hours working on the engine in the <a href="https://www.24h-lemans.com/en/news/ford-racing-recreates-a-lap-of-the-24-hours-of-le-mans-circuit-60925" target="_blank">dyno cell in Dearborn</a>, making sure the car would be operational from the outset. The first outing may be the first chapter, but there was a prelude to the story of Ford&rsquo;s journey to the 2027 24 Hours of Le Mans and the FIA World Endurance Championship to take on Aston Martin, BMW, Cadillac, Ferrari, Genesis, McLaren, Peugeot and Toyota.

<h2>Thousands of hours of preparation for the first outing</h2>

A race car doesn&rsquo;t come into being when it leaves the pit lane. The Ford Hypercar was a reality long before it entered the track at the Paul Ricard circuit.

A few weeks earlier, the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.24h-lemans.com/en/news/ford-hypercar-v8-roars-to-life-for-the-first-time-ahead-of-the-2027-24-hours-of-le-mans-60883" target="_blank">5.4-litre V8 naturally aspirated engine</a>, developed in-house, was fired up for the first time in France. The American manufacturer worked alongside <a href="https://www.24h-lemans.com/en/news/ford-partners-with-oreca-for-hypercar-programme-launching-in-2027-59768">chassis builder Oreca</a> to integrate the powertrain, while fleshing out its sporting programme in view of its FIA World Endurance Championship entry in 2027.

All that remained was to test the car on a real circuit.

Dan Sayers, WEC Hypercar Program Manager at Ford Racing sums up the philosophy: &lsquo;Reaching Paul Ricard and getting the car through its shakedown and three full days of running is exactly the milestone we set out to hit. Everything we did in the buildup&thinsp;&ndash;&thinsp;the dyno work in Dearborn, the fire-up in France, the countless hours in the sim&thinsp;&ndash;&thinsp;was about making sure that when we rolled out onto the track, we were ready to be plug and play.&rsquo;

It was important to know as much as possible about the car&rsquo;s behaviour before the first outing, so as to gather precious data from lap one. This next phase is all about learning.

<h2>From preparation to experience</h2>

The team at Ford Racing were able to see the results of their work in real conditions at the Paul Ricard circuit. Engineers gathered data, drivers got familiar with the Hypercar&rsquo;s behaviour and the team checked that the project elements hung together correctly.

For an entirely new programme it&rsquo;s essential to begin turning laps into learning. Logan Sargeant, one of the six drivers in the programme, knows that as well as anyone. &lsquo;Kicking off a new programme always takes time&thinsp;&ndash;&thinsp;you&rsquo;re figuring out how all the pieces fit together, and we&rsquo;re still working through that,&rsquo; explains the American. &lsquo;That said, we really hit the ground running.&rsquo;

Indeed, the team left nothing to chance. &lsquo;Starting testing from where we did is a huge credit to the team. There have already been countless hours poured into this project, including a ton of time in the simulator, so we&rsquo;ve had a massive head start. Now it&rsquo;s about making sure everything comes together flawlessly, and that&rsquo;s the next step for us.&rsquo;

That&rsquo;s where the first kilometres are precious. Data gathered on track can be reworked in simulation. Behaviour observed by a driver can give engineers new indications. Noticed early on, a little glitch can be ironed out and avoid bigger problems further down the line. Every lap becomes a piece of a huge puzzle that Ford is piecing together.

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<h2>Six drivers form one team</h2>

A less visible element of the first outing is nonetheless important: teamwork. The programme isn&rsquo;t just a car, it&rsquo;s a group of people.

All six drivers were at Paul Ricard. Sebastian Priaulx, Mike Rockenfeller and Logan Sargeant were already announced as playing a part in the Hypercar&rsquo;s development. The three others brought their experience too.

Mark Rushbrook, Global Director of Ford Racing: &lsquo;The fact that all six of our drivers were on hand, working together and pushing this programme forward, tells you everything about the spirit we&rsquo;re building at Ford Racing.&rsquo;

Building. The watchword. For Ford is not just entering two cars in 2027. The American brand is back at the highest level of endurance racing with the aim of reclaiming overall victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. With four wins to date (1966&ndash;1969), the manufacturer is counting on the Hypercar to be reacquainted with the Le Mans trophy after a sixty-year hiatus.

Yet there&rsquo;s a world of difference between the Ford&nbsp;GT40 and today&rsquo;s car. Technology has changed, cars are not the same and endurance racing has undergone profound transformation. One thing remains: the idea that Le Mans requires preparation to match the size of the challenge.

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<h2>First step on the long road to Le Mans</h2>

The three-day test was one of the first stages on an arduous journey. At Ford Racing, everyone knows the finish line is a long way off.

&lsquo;There&rsquo;s a long list of milestones still ahead of us before Q1&nbsp;2027, but these past couple of weeks has given the team a lot of confidence and strong foundations to build on,&rsquo; says Dan Sayers.

The schedule is packed. After the first outing, the Hypercar development programme continues on other circuits and environments, to cover plenty of ground before the car&rsquo;s maiden race. The test phase spans three continents, and that&rsquo;s before the first FIA WEC race.

&lsquo;Every mile we put on this car brings us closer to Le Mans, and closer to reclaiming our place at the top of endurance racing,&rsquo; says Mark Rushbrook, summing up the aim of the pre-competition preparation.

For the moment, Ford are not playing to win. There are no chequered flags involved yet. However, in the data recorded at Paul Ricard, in the sensations felt by the drivers and in the thousands of elements analysed by the engineers, there is already a taste of the Ford Hypercar as it will be on the morning of 13 June 2027.

Ford Hypercar: behind the scenes at the carefully-prepared track test

Ford Racing has reached the first major milestone in its 2027 FIA WEC and 24 Hours of Le Mans campaign. The American Hypercar covered 1,000 kilometres in three days, officially launching the development programme that will span three continents.

The countdown begins. Just weeks after its 5.4-litre Coyote-based V8 engine fired up for the first time, the Ford Hypercar was on track for tests at the Paul Ricard circuit in the south of France. A symbolic step in the project to bring the US brand back to the FIA World Endurance Championship and the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2027.

To the Ford Racing team, the tests were the real starting point. After a shakedown, the car completed three full days on track, clocking over 1,000 kilometres. For a newborn car, that&rsquo;s quite a first outing!

<h2>The Hypercar finds its feet</h2>

All Ford programme drivers attended the test. Logan Sargeant, Matt Campbell, Tom Blomqvist and Mike Rockenfeller took turns at the wheel, while Sebastian Priaulx and Nick Yelloly helped with data collection to prepare the next stage of development.

Matt Campbell: &lsquo;I&rsquo;ve been here for the whole test and from my side, it&rsquo;s gone smoothly. I&rsquo;ve seen fans online raving about how awesome the sound is, but from inside the cockpit, it&rsquo;s on another level&thinsp;&ndash;&thinsp;it&rsquo;s absolutely deafening! I&rsquo;m genuinely excited for what&rsquo;s ahead with this car. We know there&rsquo;s a long road in front of us, but this has been a really positive start. I&rsquo;ve had the most track time out of the drivers, and aside from a few minor teething issues&thinsp;&ndash;&thinsp;which you&rsquo;d expect at the beginning of a new programme&thinsp;&ndash;&thinsp;everything has gone well. From here, things really ramp up: I&rsquo;m heading back to the USA for three days of sim work before returning to Europe for the next test.&rsquo;

<h2>Testing on three continents</h2>

The pace ramps up from here on. After three days on the simulator in North Carolina, Ford heads to Portim&atilde;o in early September. Then Silverstone, Monza, Imola and Aragon in Europe and then back to the States towards the end of the year for new more destinations: Circuit of the Americas (Austin) and Sebring.

A packed schedule! Ford is looking to get to know the car better kilometre after kilometre, fine-tuning the set-ups to turn the car fresh from the workshop into a racing machine.

The goal is to get a solid grounding by the first quarter of 2027. Paul Ricard is just the first stage. As everyone knows, all great journeys begin with a first step. Before the 24 Hours of Le Mans, a car is designed, built, and tested. The first few laps are a glimpse of things to come.

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Initial testing complete for the Ford Racing Hypercar

The no43 Inter Europol Competition returned to the top step of the ELMS podium for the first time since Le Castellet in 2024 after a dramatic 4 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps which saw six Safety Car periods in the first half of the race.

After taking their second 24 Hours of Le Mans victory in a row in June and finishing second on the ELMS podium no less than six times in the past two seasons, Jakub Smiechowski, Nick Yelloly and Tom Dillmann were all smiles as they held up their winners&rsquo; trophies, having taken the chequered flag just 3.3 seconds ahead of the no10 Vector Sport Oreca.&nbsp;

However, Pietro Fittipaldi had driven 1m15.791 below the minimum driving time.&nbsp;The no10 Oreca was given a post-race penalty of 1:50.791 sec (<a href="https://www.fiawec.com/umbrella_media/110-decision-no-71-car-10-min-driving-time-6a8b5d7adc732561653849.pdf" target="_blank">Stewards Decision no71</a>), which dropped the car to 17th overall and 9th in LMP2.&nbsp; This promoted the no29 Forestier Racing by Panis Oreca into second place and the no18 IDEC Sport Oreca to third.

GR Racing secured their first ELMS victory since 2015, with Mike Wainwright, Mex Jansen and Lorcan Hanafin winning the LMGT3 category. Hanafin brought the no86 Ferrari 296 LMGT3 home just 2.7 seconds ahead of the no77 Proton Competition Porsche, with the no62 Team Qatar by Iron Lynx Mercedes-AMG securing a second podium in a row.

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The LMP2 Pro/Am win went to the no83 AF Corse Oreca of Fran&ccedil;ois Perrodo, Antonio Fuoco and Matthieu Vaxiviere. Vaxiviere was battling hard with Louis Del&eacute;traz in the no99 AO by TF Oreca in the final stages of the race when the pair clashed at Les Combes. Del&eacute;traz span off, with Vaxiviere taking to the escape road and was able to keep his lead. The no83 Oreca took the chequered flag 3.3 seconds ahead of Malthe Jakobsen in the no20 Algarve Pro Racing Oreca, with Del&eacute;traz finishing third 5 seconds further back.

The no5 Rinaldi Racing Ligier took the chequered flag in LMP3, with Mikkel Gaarde Pedersen finishing 54 seconds ahead of the rest of the class field. However, a post race penalty led to the car being disqualified due to non compliance with the maximum capacity of the fuel tank (<a href="https://www.fiawec.com/umbrella_media/112-decision-no-76-car-5-disqualification-6a8b5c30ebe3f492928900.pdf" target="_blank">Steward&rsquo;s Decision no76</a>). This promoted the no17 CLX Motorsport Ligier to first place, with the no85 R-ace GP Duqueine in second and the no11 Eurointernational Ligier completing the top three.

<a href="https://www.europeanlemansseries.com/en/page/results" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a> for the result of the 4 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps.

<a href="https://www.europeanlemansseries.com/en/page/classification-2" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a> for the championship positions after 4 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps.

Round 5 of the 2026 European Le Mans Series will be the Goodyear 4 Hours of Silverstone, which will take place on Sunday 13 September.

Race Highlights | 4 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps 2026 | ELMS

ELMS : les meilleurs moments des 4 Heures de Spa-Francorchamps 2026

ELMS : back to the top step for Inter Europol Competition at Spa-Francorchamps

Aston Martin’s Hypercar programme is entering a new phase. At Silverstone, the British manufacturer ran a development version of its Valkyrie Hypercar to explore new avenues of performance. It was an important step ahead of the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) return in 2027, with the 95th running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans (9–13 June 2027) firmly in its sights.

The Aston Martin Valkyrie continues to evolve. Aston Martin THOR Team recently conducted a test session dedicated to an upgraded version of its Hypercar at Silverstone. Driven by Ross Gunn and Harry Tincknell, the development Valkyrie allowed the British team to evaluate several technical developments and gather valuable data. After 18 months of competition, Aston Martin is now looking to build on its deeper understanding of the car to open a new chapter in its Hypercar programme.

<h2>A Valkyrie beginning to reveal its secrets</h2>

Silverstone was no random choice. Home of the British Grand Prix and a true heartland of British motorsport, the circuit is also located close to Aston Martin&rsquo;s AMR Technology Campus. In 2027, it will return to the FIA WEC calendar for the first time since 2019, hosting the 6 Hours of Silverstone from 23 to 25 April.

For Aston Martin THOR Team, the session was therefore both a test and a dress rehearsal. The team worked on different areas of performance with a Valkyrie whose characteristics are now better understood after its first two seasons of competition.

&ldquo;We are right at the beginning of this journey,&rdquo; explains Adam Carter, Aston Martin&rsquo;s Head of Endurance Motorsport. After 18 months spent observing, measuring and understanding the Valkyrie&rsquo;s behaviour in racing conditions, the manufacturer can now begin looking for where further gains can be made.

This approach comes as the Valkyrie has already shown clear progress in 2026. In the FIA WEC, both Valkyries scored points at the 6 Hours of S&atilde;o Paulo, finishing sixth and ninth. In the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, the British prototype has secured six top-10 finishes from seven races, including a second place on the road for Ross Gunn and Roman De Angelis.

The Valkyrie is therefore no longer simply a newcomer to the Hypercar class. It is beginning to follow an upward trajectory.

At Silverstone, Aston Martin THOR Team was therefore looking for new answers. The data gathered will now help shape the manufacturer&rsquo;s thinking about the next evolution of the Valkyrie.

&ldquo;Some of the developments we tried today will fuel our thinking as we consider the technical direction we go next with Valkyrie,&nbsp;explains Ian James, Aston Martin THOR Team Principal. There&rsquo;s more to come.&rdquo;

The phrase perfectly sums up the situation. The Valkyrie has already taken its first steps at the highest level. It is now entering a phase where every detail can make a difference.

And in 2027, those details will take on a particular significance. The FIA WEC&rsquo;s return to Silverstone will give Aston Martin its first opportunity to put on a show for its home fans with its Hypercar. Then comes the event that every endurance racing enthusiast already has in mind: the 24 Hours of Le Mans, from 9 to 13 June 2027.

The Valkyrie will have another story to tell. That of a Hypercar born for the road, transformed for racing and now committed to a constant pursuit of performance. A story that, clearly, is only just beginning.

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At Silverstone, Aston Martin prepares the next evolution of the Valkyrie

The next European Le Mans Series round at Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium will be a special one. For the race’s tenth anniversary, the 4 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps boasts a field of 47 cars and 140 drivers. The season enters its second half for the four hotly disputed ELMS classes.

The 4 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps is round 4 of 6 in the 2026 season of the European Le Mans Series. The 47-car entry list breaks down as follows: 11 LMP2s, 12 LMP2 Pro/Ams, 10 LMP3s and 14 LMGT3s. A total of 140 drivers and 30 teams representing 30 nations are to take part in the tenth anniversary race, introduced in 2016 when the ELMS season was extended to five rounds.

<h2>LMP2: United Autosports looking to hold on to the lead</h2>

The championship remains undecided at the halfway mark. Ben Hanley, Gr&eacute;goire Saucy and Griffin Peebles top the tables with 58 points for the #22 Oreca&nbsp;07-Gibson of United Autosports.

The crew took second place at the 4 Hours of Imola, behind the Forestier Racing by Panis #29 Oreca. Esteban Masson, Louis Rousset and Oliver Gray come to Belgium with 52 points, just six points behind the leaders. Forestier Racing by Panis has banked sturdy results this year. They won two of the first three races this season and Spa-Francorchamps could well see a shift in the rankings.

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<h2>LMP2 Pro/Am: a three-way battle</h2>

In LMP2 Pro/Am, the gap is even smaller. Algarve Pro Racing crew Michael Jensen, Enzo Trulli and Malthe Jakobsen (#20), winners of the 4 Hours of Barcelona, tie for first place with Jens Reno M&oslash;ller, Cem B&ouml;l&uuml;kbaşı and Lorenzo Flux&aacute; (#7 Vector Sport) who triumphed at Imola. The teams have 43 points apiece.

Doriane Pin, Richard Vershoor and Giorgio Roda are not far behind, having earned 38 points at the wheel of the Duqueine Team #30.

AF Corse lie fourth on 36 points. The car remains in the hands of former class winners Fran&ccedil;ois Perrodo, Matthieu Vaxiviere and Antonio Fuoco. There is still all to play for in the second half of the season.

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<h2>LMP3: Rinaldi Racing back in command</h2>

The LMP3 class is just as evenly matched. Alvise Rodella, Jose Fernandes Cautela and Mikkel Gaarde Pedersen took the lead after their second place at the 4 Hours of Imola. The Rinaldi Racing #5 Ligier drivers currently have 49 points. Eight more than their nearest rivals Alex Bukhantsov, Henry Cubides Olarte and Chun Ting Chou in the Inter Europol Competition #13 who won at Le Castellet.

Reigning class champions&nbsp;CLX Motorsport made a comeback by winning at Imola. With 40 points, Paul Lanchere, Alexander Jacoby and Louis Iglesias stand third in the championship rankings.

Only 9 points separate the top three crews as they head to Spa-Francorchamps.

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<h2>LMGT3: TF Sport takes control</h2>

In LMGT3, the first three rounds were won by three different cars. The TF Sport #33 Corvette&nbsp;Z06 LMGT3.R won the 4 Hours of Imola, placing Blake McDonald, Alec Udell and Charlie Eastwood in the lead.

With 44 points, the British crew have just one point in hand over the Proton Competition #75 Porsche Porsche&nbsp;911 GT3 R&nbsp;LMGT3&thinsp;&ndash;&thinsp;Richard Lietz, Matt Kurzejewski and Thomas Sargent having claimed victory at the 4 Hours of Barcelona. 
The Kessel Racing #57 Ferrari&nbsp;296 LMGT3 Evo stands third on 40 points. Takeshi Kimura, Daniel Serra and Mathys Jaubert were the winners at Le Castellet.

Just four points then, between the top three. In such a sharp contest, the four hours of Spa-Francorchamps could change the pecking order.

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<h2>Watch the race live on the FIAWEC+ application</h2>

As a springboard to the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the European Le Mans Series is streamed live on FIAWEC+, the official ELMS platform. Head to the free app for full live coverage and videos of the season&rsquo;s highlights.

Watch ELMS races free of charge with a FIAWEC+ account&nbsp;<a href="https://plus.fiawec.com/en/european-le-mans-series" target="_blank">www.plus.fiawec.com</a>

ELMS: the 4 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps is ten years old

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#7 TOYOTA RACING WEC JPN M Toyota TR010 Hybrid HY Mike CONWAY (GBR) P Kamui KOBAYASHI (JPN) P Nyck DE VRIES (NED) P#winner, podium

#7 Toyota Racing (JPN) Toyota TR010 Hybrid (HYPERCAR) Mike Conway (GBR) / Kamui Kobayashi (JPN) / Nyck De Vries (NED)

#33 Tf Sport (GBR) Corvette Z06 LMGT3.R (LMGT3) Ben Keating (USA) / Jonny Edgar (GBR) / Nicky Catsburg (NED)

#43 Inter Europol Competition (POL) Oreca 07 - Gibson (LMP2) Jakub Smiechowski (POL) / Tom Dillmann (FRA) / Nicholas Yelloly (GBR)

#12 Cadillac Hertz Team Jota (USA) Cadillac V-Series.R (HYPERCAR) Louis Delétraz (SUI) / Will Stevens (GBR) / Norman Nato (FRA)

#19 Genesis Magma Racing (KOR) Genesis GMR-001-Hypercar (HYPERCAR) Mathieu Jaminet (FRA) / Paul-Loup Chatin (FRA) / Daniel Juncadella (ESP)

#20 Bmw M Team Wrt (GER) BMW M Hybrid V8 (HYPERCAR) Robin Frijns (NED) / René Rast (GER) / Sheldon Van Der Linde (RSA)

#9 Proton Competition (GER) Oreca 07 - Gibson (LMP2) Jonas Ried (GER) / Kakunoshin Ohta (JPN) / Harry King (GBR)

#69 Team Wrt (BEL) BMW M4 LMGT3 Evo (LMGT3) Anthony Mcintosh (USA) / Parker Thompson (CAN) / Daniel Harper (GBR)

Go behind the scenes with Ferrari Hypercar during the 24 Hours of Le Mans and experience the pressure, preparation, teamwork and determination that define every moment of race week.

What You Didn't See at the 24 Hours of Le Mans | Ferrari Hypercar

A testament to perseverance. The new episode of Drivers of Destiny featuring Robert Kubica is now online!
Discover his unique perspective on the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the profound significance he attaches to this legendary race.

DRIVERS OF DESTINY - ROBERT KUBICA

At its Dearborn test facility, Ford Racing is already putting its future Hypercar engine through a full lap simulation of the 24 Hours of Le Mans circuit. It marks another milestone in the American manufacturer's preparation for its return to the Hypercar class of the 2027 FIA World Endurance Championship.