The 2026 Michelin Le Mans Cup season finale at the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve has attracted an impressive 44-car entry, with 23 LMP3s, 11 LMP3 Pro-Ams and 10 GT3s set to take on the 4.653km circuit at Portimão.
With Danial Frost, Enzo Peugeot and the #85 R-ace GP Duqueine D09 – Toyota putting the 2026 LMP3 title out of the reach of their rivals at Silverstone, the LMP3 field will be going all out to finish the season on a high note by standing on the top step of the podium.
While the championship has already been clinched, the runner-up spot will be decided between four cars, with the #12 Brutal Fish by Campos Ligier JS P325 – Toyota of Arthur Rogeon and August Raber currently holding the position on 67 points. The Road To Le Mans race winners have a slim five-point advantage over their teammates Matus Ryba and Lucas Fluxá Cross in the #19 Ligier.
Silverstone race winners Louis Iglesias and Maxwell Dodds are on 56 points in the #9 ANS Motorsport Ligier, with Le Castellet winners Colin Queen and Giovanni Maschio on 45 points in the #50 23Events Racing Ligier.
There are four driver changes from Silverstone, with Arthur Pavie rejoining Mikkel Kristensen Illan at ANS Motorsport, replacing Jack Taylor in the #6 Ligier. Vincent Bouteiller is replacing Jules Tréluyer and will race alongside Portuguese driver André Vieira in the #22 Trajectus Motorsport Ligier.
Formula 4 racer Emily Cotty will join Bruno Ribeiro in the #26 Bretton Racing Ligier to make her Le Mans Cup debut, replacing Mitchell Van Dijk for the Czech team. The name of the driver who will join Max Van Der Snel in the #99 More Motorsport Ligier, meanwhile, is still to be declared by the team. This seat has previously been occupied by Tim Gerhards.
Whilst the LMP3 championships have been decided, the title battle is still ongoing in both LMP3 Pro/Am and GT3.
With 26 points available in Portimão, there are only two teams on the 11-car LMP3 Pro/Am grid who are able to become champions in a rematch of the dramatic class showdown of 12 months ago.
Reigning champions Eric De Doncker and Gillian Henrion are leading the standings in the #98 Motorsport98 Ligier, with the pairing on 109 points having scored three victories so far this season.
They head the Silverstone-winning #66 Rinaldi Racing Ligier of Steve Parrow and Mikkel Gaarde Pedersen by 14 points.
Last year in Portimão, Rinaldi Racing Parrow thought they were champions by a single point after finishing third, with De Doncker and Henrion finishing second. However, the winning Inter Europol Competition Ligier received a time penalty, which meant the second placed Motorsport98 Ligier was promoted to the win, and this gave the Belgian team the title ahead of Rinaldi Racing.
The GT3 grid will once again feature 10 cars, with the top four still in contention for the 2026 title.
Racing Spirit of Léman is the current team championship leader, with its #10 Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 Evo on 92 points at the top of the standings. Austrian Philipp Sager is the current Drivers’ Championship leader after two wins in Le Mans and Barcelona, with his teammate Valentin Hasse Clot no longer in contention having missed the Spa-Francorchamps round due to a clash with his IMSA SportsCar Championship programme.
Sager holds a slim five-point advantage over British driver Oscar Lee Ryndziewicz, who has also shared the driving duties with two different teammates this season, in the #21 Kessel Racing Ferrari 296 GT3 Evo. Giacomo Altoe will join Ryndziewicz in Portugal, knowing that victory would guarantee the #21 Ferrari would overhaul the #10 Aston Martin at the top of the standings.
The other two cars that are still mathematically still in contention for the title are the #54 Dinamic GT Porsche 911 GT3 R (992.2) of Matteo Cressoni and Reinhold Krahn and the #17 Kessel Racing Ferrari of Silverstone race winners David Cleto Fumanelli and Lorenzo Ferdinando Innocenti. Both teams need to win in Portugal to keep their championship aspirations alive and hope their rivals have a problem during the race.
Code Racing Development has once again overhauled the line-up of its #11 Aston Martin for Portimão, with Nicky Hays and Antoine Comeau set to race together.
The 2026 Michelin Le Mans Cup season finale at Portimão will take place on 8th to 10th October 2026, with the Portuguese event once again adopting a unique timetable which will see the two-hour race occur on the morning of Saturday 10th October.
Image courtesy of David Lord
