United Autosports, CLX and Team Qatar take their leads into the ELMS finale at Portimão

Forty-seven cars, four classes and not one title settled. The European Le Mans Series ends its 2026 season on Saturday with the 4 Hours of Portimão, and according to the series every class championship is still open. The race starts at 15:30 CEST (14:30 local time).

United Autosports need 13 points to stay clear

LMP2 is a two-team fight. The #22 United Autosports Oreca of Grégoire Saucy, Griffin Peebles and Ben Hanley leads on 85 points, 13 ahead of reigning champions Forestier Racing by Panis (Louis Rousset, Esteban Masson and Oliver Gray) on 72. With 26 points available in Portimão, 25 for the win and one for pole, the gap is not yet safe.

There is a second prize. The top two in LMP2 earn automatic invitations to the 2027 24 Hours of Le Mans. United Autosports already have theirs. Forestier need fifth or better to secure the other one, with the #25 Algarve Pro Racing car of Matthias Kaiser, Jake Hughes and Alex Lynn on 54 points as the main threat. Lynn replaces Ben Barnicoat for this race, and it is a home race for the Portuguese team.

Dutch interest sits further down the order: Job van Uitert shares the #28 IDEC Sport Oreca, which took its second podium of the year at Silverstone.

Six points cover four cars in Pro/Am

LMP2 Pro/Am is the most open class. AF Corse lead by five points, with François Perrodo and Matthieu Vaxiviere chasing a third title in four years and Antonio Fuoco in the car. TDS Racing jumped to second on 62 points with a perfect weekend at Silverstone. Algarve Pro Racing and the #30 Duqueine Team are tied one point further back on 61. The Duqueine car is shared by Richard Verschoor, Giorgio Roda and Doriane Pin.

The #19 Rossa Racing by Virage Oreca, with Dutch driver Rik Koen alongside Manuel Espírito Santo and John Falb, is on 51 points and needs a lot to go its way.

CLX can settle LMP3 with second place

Reigning LMP3 champions CLX Motorsport arrive with 84 points and a nine-point lead over R-ace GP. Paul Lanchère, Alexander Jacoby and Louis Iglesias won at Imola and Spa, and second place on Saturday would be enough. The #85 R-ace GP Duqueine of Fabien Michal, Pierre-Alexandre Provost and Hugo Schwarze won at Silverstone and sits on 75. Rinaldi Racing are 25 points behind and can only take the title with a win and trouble for both rivals.

Jacoby already won one title this year: the Asian Le Mans Series LMP3 crown in February, with CLX and Lanchère. He is not changing his approach. “A second place would be enough, but that would be a mistake to focus on the result,” he told the series.

Team Qatar lead LMGT3 by three points

Six cars can still win LMGT3. The #62 Team Qatar by Iron Lynx Mercedes-AMG of Abdulla Ali Al-Khelaifi and Julien Hanses leads on 73 points, with Ralf Aron joining them again. The #33 TF Sport Corvette of Alec Udell, Blake McDonald and Charlie Eastwood is on 70 and wins the title with a race win. The two Proton Competition Porsches are on 62 and 61. Kessel Racing (21 points back) and GR Racing (23 back) need a victory to stay in it.

Our read

LMP2 and LMP3 favour the leaders: both can afford a cautious race. Pro/Am and LMGT3 are different. In Pro/Am four cars are covered by six points, and in LMGT3 a TF Sport win beats anything Team Qatar can do. In a four-hour race with 47 cars on a 4.7-kilometre circuit, traffic will decide more than outright pace, and the amateur drivers in Pro/Am and LMGT3 carry the biggest share of that pressure.

Green flag at 15:30, free on FIAWEC+

Qualifying is on Friday, from 16:15 (LMGT3) to 17:30 (LMP2) CEST. The race runs from 15:30 to 19:30 CEST on Saturday and is streamed live for free on the FIAWEC+ app. The full timetable and all 2026 dates are on our ELMS calendar 2026, and next year’s season is on the ELMS calendar 2027. Watch the class leaders’ first stints, and the Pro/Am fight once the Bronze drivers are in the cars.

Source for points, line-ups and quotes: European Le Mans Series.

Which ELMS title goes down to the last lap in Portimão: Pro/Am or LMGT3? Tell us in the comments.