Entering the 2026 season under immense pressure following three years of limited success, BMW needed its updated M Hybrid V8 package to deliver. In IMSA, this challenge was heightened by a late team switch from RLL to WRT, but a full season with the revised LMDh car ultimately proved that the hard work paid off.
A Shift Toward Drivability
With the revised Evo package, BMW intentionally changed its focus away from single-lap qualifying speed toward race-day performance. While Dries Vanthoor claimed four pole positions in 2025, the brand recognized that points are awarded on race day.
As Marco Wittmann told Motorsport.com, the team targeted two main areas: durability and drivability. The initial car version proved difficult to handle, leading to driver errors and lost positions. Although the qualifying pace dropped slightly, the revised car offered improved consistency and strength during races.
This new concept showed its greatest success in the FIA WEC. WRT secured victories at Spa-Francorchamps and Sao Paulo, alongside a historic runner-up finish at Le Mans where Robin Frijns, Rene Rast, and Sheldon van der Linde finished just 10.913 seconds behind the winning Toyota, marking the closest finish in race history without pit lane intervention.
The refined prototype drivability also proved crucial in IMSA, culminating in a GTP victory at Indianapolis for Sheldon van der Linde and Dries Vanthoor. However, unlocking the maximum potential across different tracks took time. Wittmann noted that the team struggled early in the season to find the optimal working window, citing a strong recovery effort at the 24 Hours of Daytona after difficult practice sessions.
Building a Team Under Tight Deadlines
In IMSA, WRT faced the additional hurdle of establishing its North American operations on an extremely short timeline. Wittmann explained to Motorsport.com that setting up the US team and moving into the new workshop only began in October or November, making WRT’s execution a fantastic achievement.
Despite the immense task of preparing for Daytona, the team secured a podium finish right away at the season opener. Wittmann highlighted front-row qualifying in Long Beach and podium results in Detroit and Laguna Seca as personal highlights.
However, Wittmann and Austrian teammate Philipp Eng—who is leaving BMW—could not match their early-season podium pace during the second half of the year, while teammates van der Linde and Vanthoor surged ahead. This created a recurring trend where one BMW car performed well while the other struggled, preventing them from working together effectively.
Wittmann acknowledged the mixed momentum, noting that the #24 and #25 cars traded strong performances while missing a measure of luck. He also offered self-criticism regarding weekends where performance and race execution did not align, noting that the team occasionally missed the necessary positioning in the wild closing stages of IMSA races.
Despite setbacks, Wittmann described the campaign as a cool year while highlighting positive changes in driving standards across the championship. He observed that American racing has drawn influence from Europe, placing a stronger emphasis on leaving opponents racing room compared to previous years. He added that frequent full-course cautions and safety car restarts create high drama and intense excitement toward the end of races.
That unpredictable nature surfaced during the Petit Le Mans finale when Kevin Magnussen went airborne over Alex Palou’s Acura after Palou moved across on cold tires into the first braking zone. Wittmann expressed relief that Magnussen was uninjured following the scary crash that prematurely ended their race.
With the brief IMSA offseason underway, preparations are already building toward the 2027 season opener in January, where WRT will aim to translate its drivability gains into sustained championship contention on North American soil just like in FIA WEC.
