The 2026 FIA World Endurance Championship campaign will conclude this weekend (6-8 November) at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza, as Michelin’s latest-generation Pilot Sport Endurance tyres containing 50 per cent renewable or recycled materials prepare to tackle the legendary ‘Temple of Speed’.
Monza is the last port of call for FIA WEC competitors this year. The second-fastest venue on the calendar – with average lap speeds of 220km/h and peaks close to 320km/h – the 5.793km loop features such famed corners as Curva Parabolica and Variante Ascari.
The fixture will bring to a close what was always going to be an important campaign for Michelin Motorsport, following the introduction of the French brand’s new Pilot Sport Endurance range at the start of the season.
Five years ago, at the dawn of endurance racing’s Hypercar era, Michelin revealed a demonstrator slick that contained 46 per cent sustainable materials. Today, the sport's technologically sophisticated front-running prototypes compete on tyres that contain 50 per cent renewable or recycled materials.
“Monza is a challenging place to wrap up the championship,” admits Pierre Alves, manager of Michelin’s endurance racing programmes. “To begin with, it’s one of the world’s fastest tracks, and that places big demands on tyres. Through Turn Three, for example, the rear-left is submitted to a load of 900kg. It is also notorious for hard-braking, and our slicks will need to contend with deceleration forces in excess of 2g for five per cent of every lap.
“The switch from Bahrain to northern Italy in November has led us to revise our package for the race. We will consequently have our soft and medium slicks, plus our new wet-weather tyre that made its debut last month in Barcelona and which contains 57 per cent renewable or recycled materials.”
This weekend marks FIA WEC’s first visit to Monza since 2023, with the three rounds previously staged at the track having been won by Toyota (twice) and Alpine.
The Japanese firm made sure of its eighth Manufacturers/Teams’ title last month in Spain – its 12th world championship triumph in association with Michelin across motorsport disciplines.
In addition to what promises to be an exciting battle for victory, the 6 Hours of Monza (start: 11:00 local time on Sunday, November 8) will settle the scrap between TOYOTA RACING’s Conway/Kobayashi/De Vries (#7) and Buemi/Hartley/Hirakawa (#8) crews for the 2026 Drivers’ title.
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