2026 European Le Mans Series Finale Set for Portimão
The 2026 European Le Mans Series (ELMS) concludes this weekend at the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve, Portugal, with all four class championships poised for resolution during the 4 Hours of Portimão. This marks the tenth consecutive year the Portuguese circuit has hosted the season-ending event.
LMP2 Championship Showdown
In the fiercely competitive LMP2 category, the title will be contested between the #22 United Autosports and the #29 Forestier Racing by Panis ORECA 07 – Gibsons. Both teams entered the previous round at Silverstone tied on points, but a rain-induced incident for Forestier’s Oliver Gray handed a critical advantage to United Autosports. Piloted by Griffin Peebles, Ben Hanley, and Gregoire Saucy, the #22 car now leads by 13 points and needs only a fifth podium finish to secure the title.
A strong performance at Portimão is crucial for United, which has significantly improved from a 12th-place finish last season without a top-five result. “We are hoping for a clean race,” said Peebles, commenting on their strategy to leverage pace while avoiding cautions.
Should United Autosports falter, Forestier Racing, with Gray, Esteban Masson, and rookie Louis Rousset, still has a path to defend their title. The #29 ORECA has displayed exceptional pace this season with two race wins, thus maintaining a mathematical chance if they perform well.
Two spots for the 2027 24 Hours of Le Mans are also on the line in this class, adding further incentive for teams such as Algarve Pro Racing and IDEC Sport, who are vying for runner-up finishes in the championship.
LMP2 Pro/Am Complexity
In the LMP2 Pro/Am class, the championship race is more intricate, with eight of the twelve entrants still in contention. Current leaders AF Corse (67 points) are followed closely by TDS Racing (61 points) and Algarve Pro Racing, who also sit on 61 points. The stakes are high as a victory or podium finish is essential for each competitor.
TDS Racing comes off a pole position and win at Silverstone, while Algarve Pro seeks redemption after narrowly missing the title in the past two seasons.
LMP3 and LMGT3 Title Battles
CLX Motorsport’s resurgence places them in a strong position in LMP3, holding a nine-point lead. R-ace GP and Rinaldi Racing are also vying for the title, although Rinaldi faces challenges following a disqualification stemming from regulatory violations earlier in the season.
In LMGT3, the championship remains tightly contested, with Team Qatar by Iron Lynx recently taking the lead after their victory at Silverstone. The #62 Mercedes-AMG will carry success ballast, complicating their race strategy against the second-placed #33 TF Sport Corvette, which seeks to repeat past success at Portimão.
Race Details
The 4 Hours of Portimão takes place from October 8-10, 2026, with the race set to start at 14:30 WEST on Saturday. The revised schedule includes Free Practice 1 on Thursday and both Free Practice 2 and Qualifying on Friday, providing teams ample opportunity to refine their setups ahead of the decisive race.
In this electrifying season finale, strategies will shift rapidly as teams fight for glory and positions in the prestigious 24 Hours of Le Mans.
