Philipp Eng leaves BMW M Motorsport after eleven years as a works driver

Philipp Eng will leave BMW M Motorsport at the end of the 2026 season. BMW announced on Wednesday that both sides have agreed not to renew the 36-year-old Austrian’s works contract, which expires this year, closing an eleven-year spell that brought three overall wins at the 24 Hours of Spa.

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BMW did not say where Eng goes next. According to the announcement, he will be taking on new challenges in the future.

Three Spa wins in eight years

Eng’s BMW story started long before he became a works driver. He raced in Formula BMW from 2006 to 2008, won the Formula BMW World Final in 2007 and earned a test in a BMW Sauber Formula 1 car in 2008 as his prize.

He joined BMW as a works driver in 2016 and won the 24 Hours of Spa in his first season, in a BMW M6 GT3 for ROWE Racing. He won the race again in 2018 and in 2023, which makes him one of BMW’s most successful GT drivers. In 2019 he added a GTLM class win at the 24 Hours of Daytona in the BMW M8 GTE of BMW M Team RLL.

Between 2018 and 2022 he raced four seasons in the DTM for BMW. In 72 races, BMW counts one win and five podiums. The series now runs to eight weekends in 2027.

Two GTP wins in the M Hybrid V8

From 2023 Eng was part of the line-up for the BMW M Hybrid V8, BMW’s prototype in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. Over four GTP seasons he took two wins and five podiums, two of those podiums in 2026. In 2025 he finished fourth in the overall standings with Dries Vanthoor.

“At the same time, from 2023 onwards, he has regularly demonstrated his class at the wheel of the BMW M Hybrid V8,” said Andreas Roos, Head of BMW M Motorsport.

Roos opened his statement with thanks. “I would like to extend my warmest thanks to Philipp Eng for eleven successful years together at BMW M Motorsport,” he said. “I wish Philipp all the best for the next stage of his career and look forward to seeing him again soon at the racetrack.”

“It has been a fantastic time!”

Eng kept his farewell short and warm. “I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to everyone who has supported me during my eleven years at BMW M Motorsport,” he said. “It has been a fantastic time!”

He said he was “delighted to have won races in every series I’ve competed in”, naming the DTM, the IMSA Series, the GT World Challenge and the Intercontinental GT Challenge, and picked out his three Spa wins and his Daytona success as the highlights. “Now it is time for me to turn my attention to new and exciting challenges,” Eng said. “I will always cherish the memories of our time together.”

Our view

Eleven years with one manufacturer is rare in modern sportscar racing, and Eng’s record explains why BMW kept him so long: wins in GT3, GTE, the DTM and GTP. That range is exactly what makes him interesting now. A driver with three Spa wins and four seasons of hybrid prototype development is a ready-made signing for a GT3 team chasing the big endurance races, or for a manufacturer still building its prototype programme. The differences between those car classes are explained in GT3, GT2 and GT4 explained.

The timing matters too. Most 2027 seats in the WEC and IMSA are being filled right now, so a free agent of Eng’s level should not stay free for long.

No new team named yet for 2027

Eng’s contract runs until the end of this season. Neither BMW nor Eng has said where he will race next year. When his next move is announced, we will add it here. All key dates for next season are in our motorsport calendar 2027.

Source: BMW Group PressClub, 21 October 2026.

Where would you like to see Philipp Eng race in 2027, GT3 or a Hypercar? Tell us in the comments.