BMW M Team WRT has taken the wraps off the pair of prototypes with which it hopes to reach the top step of the rostrum in the FIA World Endurance Championship’s headlining Hypercar category this year.
The forthcoming season will mark the Bavarian brand’s third at the international pinnacle of the long-distance discipline, having achieved a brace of podiums to-date and consecutive fifth-place finishes in the Manufacturers’ standings in 2024 and 2025 – and having recently re-committed to the series for the ‘long-term’.
In its bid to transform the M Hybrid V8 from a regular top three contender into a race-winner, BMW has exploited an ‘Evo’ joker update to carry out a raft of aerodynamic revisions, aimed at improving consistency across the course of the campaign.
The 2026-spec German Hypercar features visible and not-so-visible changes, with the most striking modification being to its front end. The splitter has been adjusted to optimise airflow and cooling efficiency, the classic BMW ‘kidney grille’ is slightly smaller than before and new headlights complete its refreshed appearance.
The driving strength, by contrast, is all about continuity. The #15 entry will again be crewed by the trio of Kevin Magnussen, Raffaele Marciello and Dries Vanthoor, with the sister #20 prototype to be shared by Robin Frijns, René Rast and Sheldon van der Linde.
Both cars will take to the track during the official ‘Prologue’ pre-season test around Italy’s Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari on 14 April, prior to tackling the curtain-raising contest – the 6 Hours of Imola – at the same circuit the following weekend (17-19 April).
The hunt for honours will subsequently continue with races at Spa-Francorchamps (9 May), Le Mans (13-14 June), Interlagos (12 July), COTA (6 September) and Fuji (27 September), before concluding with the rescheduled Qatar 1812km on 24 October and the traditional Bahrain finale on 7 November.
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