BMW entered the 2026 season facing immense pressure after three years of limited success, but a crucial philosophy shift with the WRT-run BMW M Hybrid V8 has finally brought the manufacturer back to winning ways, as Motorsport.com reports.
Following a late-notice team switch from RLL to WRT in IMSA and the introduction of a revised Evo package, the team deliberately changed its focus. While Dries Vanthoor claimed an impressive four pole positions in 2025, the team realized that Sunday results required a different approach. Marco Wittmann explained that they addressed durability issues and drivability, noting that the car was previously difficult to drive and led to driver mistakes.
While absolute qualifying performance dipped, consistency improved. This concept paid off brilliantly in the FIA WEC. WRT captured victories at Spa-Francorchamps and Sao Paulo, alongside a stellar run at Le Mans where Robin Frijns, Rene Rast, and Sheldon van der Linde finished 10.913 seconds behind the winning Toyota in the closest finish in the race ever without pit lane intervention.
In IMSA, the refined prototype drivability also became a vital weapon, leading to a GTP victory for Sheldon van der Linde and Dries Vanthoor at Indianapolis. Still, extracting maximum performance from the update across different tracks took time. Wittmann referenced their nearly legendary recovery at the 24 Hours of Daytona after disastrous practice sessions, pointing out that operating windows became easier to hit as the year progressed.
Setting up North American operations on an extremely tight schedule starting in October or November meant WRT faced a huge task just to be ready for Daytona. Yet they managed a podium right out of the gate. Highlights for Wittmann included front-row qualifying in Long Beach and podium finishes in Detroit and Laguna Seca alongside Austrian teammate Philipp Eng, who is departing BMW. However, splitting success between the #24 and #25 cars prevented them from consistently working together.
Wittmann also noted that IMSA's wild nature was on full display at 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 Kevin is okay following the scary crash that prematurely ended their race.
