BMW M Motorsport is retaining all eight of its Hypercar factory drivers for the 2026 season, covering both the FIA World Endurance Championship and the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. The names remain the same, but the structure around the program changes next year as BMW M Team WRT replaces Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing in IMSA and the updated BMW M Hybrid V8 makes its racing debut.
The returning drivers are Philipp Eng, Robin Frijns, Kevin Magnussen, Raffaele Marciello, René Rast, Sheldon van der Linde, Dries Vanthoor and Marco Wittmann. Vanthoor and van der Linde will continue to race in both championships throughout the season, while Eng and Wittmann will remain assigned to the IMSA team – now under the management of WRT.
Updated BMW M Hybrid V8 kit for 2026
BMW’s 2026 hypercar season begins with a revised version of the M Hybrid V8. Almost half of the bodywork has been redesigned, including a narrower front end, revised side panels, new lighting and an aerodynamic package developed with Dallara to improve stability and cooling. Initial testing at Daytona showed more predictable balance and improved handling, particularly in traffic. The car will also run on a new generation of Michelin endurance tires, which required additional tuning work during testing.
WRT starts its first IMSA season with BMW
The year 2026 marks a major change on the IMSA side as BMW M Team WRT takes over operations of the M Hybrid V8 program in North America. The Belgian team already leads BMW’s WEC efforts and now oversees both championships. This ends BMW’s long partnership with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing in IMSA. The Daytona test for the updated M Hybrid V8 marked the first time WRT led IMSA operations.
No changes to the WEC lineups
BMW will retain the same FIA WEC driver pairings as in 2025.
FIA WEC – #15 BMW M Hybrid V8
- Kevin Magnussen
- Raffaele Marciello
- Dries Vanthoor
FIA WEC – #20 BMW M Hybrid V8
- Robin Frijns
- René Rast
- Sheldon van der Linde
IMSA lineups adjusted under WRT
With WRT taking over IMSA, BMW is making small adjustments to its pairing structure for 2026.
IMSA – #24 BMW M Hybrid V8
- Sheldon van der Linde (full season)
- Dries Vanthoor (all season)
- Robin Frijns (endurance race)
- René Rast (Daytona 24)
IMSA – #25 BMW M Hybrid V8
- Philipp Eng (full season)
- Marco Wittmann (complete season)
- Kevin Magnussen (endurance race)
- Raffaele Marciello (Daytona 24)
