Duqueine and R-ace GP begin partnership
This weekend’s European Le Mans Series event is the first for the new technical partnership between Duqueine Team and R-ace GP, which sees R-ace effectively take over the running of Duqueine’s LMP2 effort.
The two French teams are sitting alongside each other on pit lane this weekend, and have taken the first two garages at pit entry.
For the most part, Duqueine’s #30 ORECA 07 – Gibson is running in the same livery as last year, but amongst the tweaks is a sticker celebrating new driver Doriane Pin’s 2025 F1 Academy drivers’ title.
New chassis for AO by TF
AO by TF has brought a new ‘Spike the Dragon’ to Barcelona, as PJ Hyett, Louis Delétraz and Dane Cameron look to defend their LMP2 Pro/Am title.
The team have updated to a new chassis, #144, over the off-season, with the 2025 chassis still at the circuit, but staying in the truck.
Castellacci switches nationality
Francesco Castellacci has arrived at Barcelona sporting a new flag on his overalls. The 39-year-old, who used to represent Italy, will now race under the flag of Monaco.
Castellacci is making a one-off ELMS appearance this weekend, replacing Lilou Wadoux in the #50 Richard Mille AF Corse Ferrari 296 LMGT3 Evo, with Wadoux one of the drivers affected by the clash with GT World Challenge Europe.
It is set to be Castellacci’s first ELMS start since Spa 2020, when he and regular co-driver Thomas Flohr participated as a warm-up for the FIA WEC event the following weekend.
New livery for Rinaldi features Twin Busch
Rinaldi Racing’s #5 LMP3 is sporting a refreshed livery this season, following its switch from Duqueine to Ligier.
Amongst the new additions is a prominent Twin Busch sticker. Twin Busch Motorsport was a regular competitor at the Nürburgring Nordschleife throughout the 2010s, running Porsche and Audi machinery and claiming multiple NLS victories.
Le Mans Cup setup underway
With track action now underway for the European Le Mans Series competitors, the support paddock is starting to fill up ahead of Michelin Le Mans Cup’s own pre-season test on Wednesday.
Several teams, mainly those with an ELMS presence, are already on site. This includes Team Virage, whose #16 Ajith Redant by Virage Ligier LMP3 Pro/Am, which features actor Ajith Kumar alongside Romain Vozniak, is sure to attract plenty of attention this season.
Updated entry adds Fluxá to Vector Sport
An updated entry list has been issued, filling in the final ‘TBA’ ahead of the 2026 season opener.
Lorenzo Fluxá has joined Vector Sport, where he will share its LMP2 Pro/Am-entered #7 ORECA with Jens Reno Møller and Cem Bolukbasi.
The 21-year-old raced for Algarve Pro Racing last season, and more recently competed for Proton Competition in the Asian Le Mans Series.
Fluxá is also set to race in the GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup race at Circuit Paul Ricard next Saturday, aboard Steller Motorsport’s #24 Corvette Z06 GT3.R. Fluxá, therefore, joins David Perel as the only drivers set to participate in both events.
Hard Tyre to be used in LMGT3
For the first and only time this season, Goodyear is utilising its Eagle Hard tyre in LMGT3 this weekend.
The compound has largely been phased out for this year due to changes to the tyre allocation regulations, but owing to the abrasive nature of the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, the Hard will be run for the season opener.
Across both the FIA WEC and ELMS, this is the only venue at which the Hard is allocated for this year. It is also likely to be the final time we see the Hard used across the board, as in 2027 Goodyear is set to debut a new LMGT3 tyre.
“Barcelona is demanding on tyres, with long, high-speed corners and a layout that typically places an enormous load on the front-left,” said Stephen Bickley, Goodyear’s newly-appointed endurance programme manager.
“That high stress is exactly why we’ve chosen the Eagle Hard compound for LMGT3 this weekend: it can withstand the aggressive wear and degradation, giving teams the confidence to plan their strategies and decide whether double-stinting will deliver the best race performance.”
