Qualifying Report: 2026 European Le Mans Series – 4 Hours of Portimão
Portimão, Portugal – Gregoire Saucy of United Autosports clinched pole position in a standout performance during the qualifying session for the season-ending 4 Hours of Portimão, solidifying the #22 ORECA 07-Gibson’s lead in the LMP2 championship.
Saucy set the fastest time of 1:31.140 during his second run, eclipsing title rival Esteban Masson’s best by an impressive 0.372 seconds. This achievement marks United Autosports’ first outright ELMS pole since the 2024 Barcelona round and extends their lead over Masson’s #29 Forestier Racing by Panis entry to 14 points. A top-four finish in the race will secure the championship for the team.
Alex Lynn qualified second in the #25 Algarve Pro Racing ORECA, 0.423 seconds behind Saucy, while Masson improved to a third-place time of 1:31.606. Job van Uitert from IDEC Sport and his teammate Valerio Rinicella rounded out the top five, with the remaining LMP2 field featuring a mix of competitive entries, including the #10 Vector Sport and #9 Proton Competition.
In LMP2 Pro/Am, Jean Glorieux achieved his maiden pole with a time of 1:33.057 in the #3 DKR Engineering ORECA, outperforming Giorgio Roda’s #30 Duqueine Team entry by 0.400 seconds, despite Roda’s earlier spin costing him crucial time.
CLX Motorsport’s Louis Iglesias dominated LMP3, securing pole with a time of 1:38.835, his third pole in four ELMS races this season. The achievement also eliminates the #5 Rinaldi Racing Ligier from championship contention.
In LMGT3, Abdulla Ali Al-Khelaifi of the championship-leading #62 Team Qatar by Iron Lynx Mercedes-AMG recorded a significant pole with a time of 1:43.151. His performance ensured a valuable championship point, positioning him for a favorable race tomorrow against competitors such as Clement Mateu and Matthew Kurzejewski.
The 4 Hours of Portimão race is scheduled to begin at 14:30 WEST tomorrow, marking the conclusion of the 2026 European Le Mans Series season.
Key Times:
- LMP2 Pole: Gregoire Saucy – 1:31.140
- LMP2 Pro/Am Pole: Jean Glorieux – 1:33.057
- LMP3 Pole: Louis Iglesias – 1:38.835
- LMGT3 Pole: Abdulla Ali Al-Khelaifi – 1:43.151
Championship Context:
United Autosports can clinch the LMP2 title with a top-four finish, while LMP3 remains tight with several contenders in close proximity for the title.
Images: Courtesy of David Lord
