With no track action this weekend, all eyes turned to the manufacturers preparing for 2026. Porsche dominated the headlines with its Night of Champions, revealing a refined motorsport focus, updated cars and a reshaped roster of factory talent. Ferrari held its own celebration in Fiorano, closing a title-winning season that included world championships in WEC and a Macau victory.

Winter racing is around the corner, with Sepang and Yas Marina ready to pick up the pace next week.

Porsche lays out a streamlined 2026

Porsche’s programme for 2026 revolves around three pillars: Formula E, IMSA and a global rollout of the updated Porsche 911 GT3 R Evo for customer teams. In Formula E, the world champions return with sportscar regular Nico Müller stepping into the factory line-up while Andretti continues as a key customer squad.

IMSA remains Porsche’s main factory endurance effort after the marque ended its WEC Hypercar programme. Porsche Penske Motorsport again fields two 963s in North America. Kévin Estre and Laurens Vanthoor continue in the #6, while Felipe Nasr and Julien Andlauer lead the #7. Matt Campbell and Laurin Heinrich join for the endurance rounds. JDC-Miller stays on as the US customer team, ensuring three 963s on the grid at Daytona.

On the GT side, the improved Porsche 911 GT3 R Evo becomes the customer backbone across WEC, DTM, GT World Challenge, IMSA and the major 24-hour races. Porsche will also debut its new 911 Cup in the Supercup and in multiple Carrera Cups, with teams receiving their cars in March.

Even as GT World Challenge Europe champions Rutronik Racing depart and Iron Dames withdraw from the WEC, Porsche continues to attract major programmes. Mühlner Motorsport launches the new 911 GT3 R Evo at Daytona and continues with it at the Nürburgring and Spa 24 Hours, Boutsen VDS switches to Porsche for an ambitious 2026 GT World Challenge Europe and Spa 24 Hours campaign, and Land-Motorsport brings Porsche driver Bastian Buus into its returning DTM effort.

Porsche Juniors and factory promotions

Porsche confirmed two new Juniors: Flynt Schuring, coming off wins in Germany’s Porsche Carrera Cup and third overall in the Supercup, and Marcus Amand, the 2025 Carrera Cup France champion. Both will contest the full 2026 Porsche Supercup.

Two former Juniors step up to factory status: Laurin Heinrich, fresh from the IMSA GTD Pro title, and Ayhancan Güven, the 2025 DTM champion. They join a works squad that also features Kévin Estre, Matt Campbell, Michael Christensen, Richard Lietz, Laurens Vanthoor, Felipe Nasr, Thomas Preining, Nick Tandy and Pascal Wehrlein. Further additions include Alessandro Ghiretti, Dorian Boccolacci and Harry King, strengthening the Porsche Driver pool beneath the works tier.

Ferrari celebrates a landmark year

Ferrari gathered its champions in Fiorano, marking a season defined by victory in the FIA World Endurance Championship. The marque claimed both the Manufacturers’ and Drivers’ titles, with Alessandro Pier Guidi, James Calado and Antonio Giovinazzi crowned world champions in the #51 Ferrari 499P.

AF Corse’s overall win at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, achieved by Yifei Ye, Robert Kubica and Phil Hanson, received special recognition, as did Antonio Fuoco’s breakthrough triumph in the FIA GT World Cup at Macau. Ferrari also swept up titles in Italian GT, GTWC Europe’s Bronze categories, GTWC Asia, GTWC America, the Le Mans Cup, International GT Open, Ultimate Cup and the GT Winter Series — a reminder of the depth of its customer-racing strength.

Ferrari’s success capped a season highlighted by the world title we covered in our recent interview with Alessandro Pier Guidi.

Read the full interview with Pier Guidi here.

Endurance Icons: New series for GT1 and Le Mans Prototypes

Motor Racing Legends will expand its historic portfolio in 2026 with Endurance Icons, a new grid for GT1 machinery and Le Mans prototypes from 1995–2012. Sitting alongside GT3 Legends and other historic series including classic Formula 1 machinery, the new category covers the pivotal era between late-1990s GT1 battles and the rise of LMP1/LMP2.

Endurance Icons will debut at the BRDC Classic at Silverstone in 2026.

Click here for the full report.

From the archive: JJ Lehto and the Le Mans-winning McLaren F1 GTR

Thirty years after his shock 1995 Le Mans victory in the black #59 McLaren F1 GTR, JJ Lehto was reunited with the car at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. GT REPORT was there to hear his memories and capture the reunion in stunning images by Michal Pospisil. A perfect reminder of why the McLaren F1 GTR still defines what a GT legend looks and sounds like — and one that would be a perfect fit for the Endurance Icons series.

Click here to read the story.

Up next: 12H Malaysia kicks off the winter season

The 2025–2026 24H Series Middle East Trophy begins with the first-ever Michelin 12H Malaysia, and the debut grid at Sepang is far stronger than a first-year event usually attracts. The headline story is Marcus Ericsson making his GT3 debut. The Indy 500 winner and ex-F1 racer joins his brother Hampus in a Leipert Motorsport Lamborghini Huracán GT3 for their first time racing together.

Regional powerhouse Absolute Racing fields two Porsche 911 GT3 Rs, including one for reigning Middle East Trophy champion Loek Hartog and GT3 regular Patric Niederhauser. Home favourites Viper Niza Racing lead the Malaysian charge with their #65 Mercedes-AMG GT3, while Japan’s LM Corsa brings the only Ferrari 296 GT3 on the grid.

Further depth comes from Herberth Motorsport with its proven Renauer–Bohn line-up, and from established 24H Series contenders such as Red Camel-Jordans.nl, Mühlner Motorsport, Team Sorg Rennsport and Vortex V8 across the 992, GT4, TCE and GTX classes.

Sepang’s long straights and heavy braking zones reliably produce big overtakes, and with 21 cars across five categories, the opening 12 hours of the new season should deliver a lively start to the winter endurance run.