The time has finally arrived for the 2026 FIA World Endurance Championship to settle its remaining scores at the legendary Autodromo Nazionale Monza. Built more than a century ago in royal parkland just north of Milan, the world's third-oldest purpose-built motor racing circuit—and the oldest in mainland Europe—stands ready for a high-speed, high-stakes battle for glory from 6 to 8 November. With 17 different models of car taking to the track this weekend compared to 12 on the series' most recent visit between 2021 and 2023, the growth of the world championship is undeniable as it concludes a season in Europe for the first time since 2019.
While Toyota has already clinched the Hypercar Manufacturers' crown following a commanding one-two finish in Spain, the Hypercar Drivers' World Championship remains wide open. The #8 crew of Barcelona winners Sébastien Buemi, Brendon Hartley, and Ryō Hirakawa hold a 17-point advantage over their #7 stablemates Kamui Kobayashi, Mike Conway, and Nyck de Vries. With just 26 points in play—25 for victory plus one for pole position—the odds sit firmly with the #8 trio. Buemi and Hartley, making their 50th FIA WEC appearance together, are hunting a record-extending fifth title. Ominously for the opposition, Toyota has won all eight FIA WEC season finales since 2017. Yet the #7 Toyota boasts the superior Monza résumé, with Conway and Kobayashi part of the triumphant 2021 and 2023 line-ups and finishing third in 2022. It will also be a historic farewell for Conway, who shares a car with Kobayashi for an unparalleled 75th time before hanging up his motorsport helmet.
Ferrari and the tifosi are waiting to halt that Toyota streak on home soil, eager to cap off a challenging title defence. Five of the Prancing Horse's six Hypercar drivers—James Calado, Antonio Fuoco, Alessandro Pier Guidi, Miguel Molina, and Nicklas Nielsen—have sprayed champagne at Monza in GT categories previously, with Pier Guidi holding the fastest GTE Pro lap around the circuit ahead of his 70th FIA WEC start. Meanwhile, BMW sits second in the Manufacturers' standings but is among six carmakers across both classes making their championship debut at Monza. Alpine is embarking on its 80th and final FIA WEC event, aiming to sign off in style with its #36 entry that triumphed at the track in 2022. French counterpart Peugeot made its series debut at the Autodromo in 2022, reaching the podium there a year later.
The LMGT3 class brings its own fierce drama. Jonny Edgar is on the verge of solo LMGT3 Drivers' glory alongside team-mates Nicky Catsburg and Ben Keating in the #33 Corvette, though the #34 Racing Team Turkey by TF Z06 and the #69 BMW remain in mathematical contention. Porsche hits a milestone with its 911 chalking up an unprecedented 500 entries in the series across all GT variants. Manthey team-mate Richard Lietz, who recently became the first driver to achieve five LMGT3 victories, is set to become the second driver to make 100 FIA WEC starts at Monza, following Buemi. Lietz, Riccardo Pera, and Yasser Shahin sit 18 points behind TF Sport and Edgar in the #92 Porsche, needing a major result to secure a third consecutive LMGT3 crown.
On-track sessions fire up with free practice on Friday, 6 November, followed by qualifying and the Hyperpole top ten shootout at 14:20 CET on Saturday, 7 November. The six-hour race itself gets underway at 11:00 CET on Sunday, 8 November.
