News Summary
- Toyota looked set for a crucial victory at the Lone Star Le Mans before late problems ended the #7 car’s race and dropped the #8 to sixth.
- Ferrari inherited victory with the #50 of Miguel Molina, Antonio Fuoco and Nicklas Nielsen, moving the Italian manufacturer firmly back into the title fight.
- Toyota still leads BMW by nine points in the Manufacturers’ standings, while the #7 Toyota and #20 BMW crews remain tied on 75 points in the Drivers’ championship.
Toyota arrived at the Lone Star Le Mans at Circuit of The Americas without looking like one of the favourites for the sixth round of the 2026 FIA World Endurance Championship. But once the six-hour race got underway, the Japanese manufacturer appeared to have produced exactly the kind of execution it needed.
Both Toyota TR010 Hybrids were in podium contention during the final hour, with the #7 leading and the #8 running third. A victory would have given Toyota a significant advantage over BMW in the Manufacturers’ championship while also allowing Nyck de Vries, Kamui Kobayashi and Mike Conway to take control of the Drivers’ standings.
Instead, everything fell apart in the closing stages.
Toyota’s late-race collapse
With the final hour underway, Ryō Hirakawa was running third in the #8 Toyota when he was handed a drive-through penalty for speeding in the pit lane during the final round of stops.
The penalty effectively ended the #8’s podium hopes, with Hirakawa, Sébastien Buemi and Brendon Hartley eventually finishing sixth. But Toyota’s biggest setback was still to come.
De Vries was on course to deliver a major victory for the #7 crew, having produced a particularly strong performance in the lead-up to the dramatic finale. The Dutchman had built a six-second advantage over the chasing Ferrari with just over 10 minutes remaining.
Then the Toyota slowed with a hydraulic pressure problem and was forced to retire.
The result was particularly painful because the #7 had looked increasingly likely to give Toyota the perfect response after a difficult weekend in Austin. Instead, the late failure cost the team a potential victory and left its title rivals with a much-needed opportunity. FIA WEC confirmed that neither the #7 Toyota nor the #20 BMW scored points in Texas.
Ferrari takes the opportunity
The beneficiary was Ferrari’s #50 499P, shared by Miguel Molina, Antonio Fuoco and Nicklas Nielsen.
The Italian crew had been running in contention throughout the race and ultimately inherited the lead when De Vries’ Toyota stopped. Ferrari’s victory was its first of the 2026 WEC season and its first at COTA, after podium finishes in the previous two editions of the event.
Ferrari had initially appeared set for a disappointing day after its #51 car, which had been leading, lost the advantage following a slow pit stop. Instead, the #50 was in exactly the right place when Toyota’s late problems struck.
That turned what could have been another frustrating weekend into a crucial championship result.
Ferrari entered the Austin round with 88 points in the Manufacturers’ standings. The victory lifted the marque to 114, putting it firmly back into contention behind Toyota and BMW.
BMW remains in the hunt
BMW also left Austin with mixed feelings.
The #20 BMW of René Rast and Robin Frijns finished outside the points, with the result representing the team’s worst finish of the season. Yet the crew still retained the lead in the Drivers’ championship.
Rast and Frijns remain tied on 75 points with the #7 Toyota trio of De Vries, Kobayashi and Conway.
Toyota therefore missed what may have been its best opportunity of the season to create a meaningful gap.
The Manufacturers’ standings tell a similar story. Toyota remains first on 140 points, but BMW is only nine points behind on 131. Ferrari has now reached 114, just 26 points away from the lead.
| Pos. | Manufacturer | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Toyota | 140 |
| 2 | BMW | 131 |
| 3 | Ferrari | 114 |
The situation is therefore far more open than Toyota would have wanted heading into the final three rounds.
Toyota’s consistency advantage could be tested
BMW’s consistency has been one of the defining features of the 2026 season. Even the #15’s eighth-place finish at COTA represented its worst result of the campaign so far.
That makes Toyota’s missed opportunity even more significant.
The Japanese manufacturer had the race under control when it mattered most, only to lose the #7 to a mechanical failure and the #8 to a pit-lane speeding penalty. With BMW continuing to score consistently and Ferrari now back in the fight, Toyota can no longer rely on a single strong weekend to create separation.
The Balance of Performance could also complicate the picture over the remaining rounds. Ferrari, BMW and Toyota have all shown different levels of competitiveness at different circuits this season, making it difficult to project the hierarchy from one event to the next.
Toyota therefore leaves Austin with the uncomfortable feeling that it let a major opportunity slip away.
Fuji offers Toyota another chance
The next opportunity comes at Fuji Speedway in Japan, Toyota’s home event.
The 6 Hours of Fuji will be held from September 25 to 27, with the race scheduled for September 27. It is Round 7 of the eight-round 2026 WEC season.
Fuji could give Toyota the chance to respond immediately. The manufacturer will hope its home circuit provides a more favourable environment for the TR010 Hybrid, although last year’s event showed that a home race alone does not guarantee an advantage.
Ferrari and BMW will also arrive with plenty to prove after difficult weekends in Japan in 2025. But with the Balance of Performance capable of reshaping the competitive order, predictions remain particularly difficult.
Toyota therefore has another chance to put some distance between itself and its rivals before the championship enters its final stages.
At Austin, the Japanese manufacturer did not quite twist the knife against Ferrari. Instead, a late retirement and a costly penalty kept BMW within striking distance and brought the defending champions roaring back into the title fight.
The heartbreak in the Toyota garage was understandable: the team had been less convincing throughout the weekend, then produced exactly the kind of race it needed — only to lose everything in the final minutes.
The WEC returns to action from September 25 to 27 for the 6 Hours of Fuji, the seventh round of the 2026 season. GRANDE PRÊMIO will provide full coverage of the event.
FAQ
Who won the 2026 Lone Star Le Mans?
Ferrari’s #50 499P won the Lone Star Le Mans at Circuit of The Americas, with Miguel Molina, Antonio Fuoco and Nicklas Nielsen sharing the victory.
Who leads the 2026 WEC championship after Austin?
Toyota leads the Manufacturers’ championship with 140 points, nine ahead of BMW and 26 ahead of Ferrari. In the Drivers’ standings, René Rast and Robin Frijns are tied with Nyck de Vries, Kamui Kobayashi and Mike Conway on 75 points.
When is the next 2026 WEC race?
The next WEC round is the 6 Hours of Fuji in Japan, scheduled for September 25–27, with the race taking place on September 27.
