BMW M Team WRT showed strong pace with both BMW M Hybrid V8s at the third-to-last race of the season in the FIA World Endurance Championship (FIA WEC), battling for a podium position over long stretches. The #20 BMW M Hybrid V8 fell back to 14th place late in the race due to two penalties. The sister car, number 15, achieved its best result of the season so far, finishing in eighth place. In the LMGT3 class, the #31 BMW M4 GT3 crossed the finish line in fifth place. The number 46 car, after a strong performance, retired shortly before the end with a technical failure.
Already in qualifying, it was evident that the BMW M Hybrid V8 was well-suited to the Circuit of The Americas (COTA). For the first time in its debut season, both cars made it into Hyperpole. Starting from seventh and eighth on the grid, René Rast and Marco Wittmann (both GER) had excellent starts and quickly moved up to fourth and fifth positions. Rast managed to close in on the leaders by the end of his second stint. His teammates Robin Frijns (NED) and Sheldon van der Linde (RSA) also held their own in the battle for the first podium in the Hypercar class. However, two penalties in the final phase of the race dropped the number 20 car back to 14th place. The #15 BMW M Hybrid V8 of Wittmann, Raffaele Marciello (SUI) and Dries Vanthoor (BEL) finished in eighth place – the team’s best result of the season. In São Paulo (BRA), the trio finished ninth.
In the LMGT3 class, the #31 BMW M4 GT3, driven by Darren Leung (GBR), Sean Gelael (INA), and Augusto Farfus (BRA), made a strong comeback from tenth place despite a drive-through penalty, finishing in fifth position. The number 46 car, driven by Ahmad Al Harthy (OMA), Valentino Rossi (ITA), and Maxime Martin (BEL), moved up from 15th to fourth place before having to retire with a power steering issue around 15 minutes before the end.
