The opening round of the 2026 European Le Mans Series at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya will see a huge 47-car entry, with 23 LMP2s (11 LMP2 and 12 LMP2 Pro/Am), 10 LMP3 and no less than 14 LMGT3s due to take the start of the 4 Hours of Barcelona on Sunday 12 April.
In total there are 30 teams and 140 drivers representing 29 different nations from all corners of the globe, with reigning and past ELMS champions throughout the field.
2025 ELMS LMP2 Team Champions Panis Racing have teamed up with Forestier Racing for this season, with reigning Driver Champions Esteban Masson and Oliver Gray being joined by Louis Rousset in the no29 Oreca-Gibson.
Former team champions United Autosports and Algarve Pro Racing will each enter a single Oreca in the LMP2 category, while 2019 champions IDEC Sport will run two cars for the second year in a row.
Reigning 24 Hours of Le Mans champions Inter Europol Competition will also run a pair of Oreca 07-Gibsons, with 2025 ELMS Vice Champions Kuba Smiechowski, Tom Dillmann and Nick Yelloly looking to make it to the top step of the championship podium this year.
The no24 Nielsen Racing Oreca will see former F1 racer Jack Doohan join Roy Nissany and Edward Pearson for the race in Barcelona, with Proton Competition, Vector Sport and CLX Motorsport all running a single car in the LMP2 class.
Reigning champions AO by TF return to defend their title with an unchanged driver line up of PJ Hyett, Dane Cameron and Louis Delétraz. Delétraz is looking to add to his impressive haul of four ELMS titles since 2021.
2023 and 2024 LMP2 Pro/Am Champions AF Corse also return with François Perrodo and Matthieu Vaxiviere being joined by 2024 24 Hours of Le Mans overall winner Antonio Fuoco in the no83 Oreca-Gibson.
2021 LMP2 Pro/Am drivers champion John Falb will be racing for Rossa Racing by Virage alongside Manuel Espírito Santo and Rik Koen.
Reigning ELMS LMP2 Champion Charles Milesi switches to the LMP2 Pro/Am category for 2026, racing for CLX Motorsport with Felipe Fraga and Georgios Kolovos.
2025 LMP2 Pro/Am Team Vice Champions Algarve Pro Racing will once again challenge for class honours with a single entry for Malthe Jakobsen, Michael Jensen and Enzo Trulli. Vice Champion drivers Kriton Lentoudis and Alex Quinn will race the no27 Nielsen Racing Oreca this year alongside 2023 LMP2 Champion James Allen.
The no88 Proton Competition Oreca will feature an all-Austrian driver line up with Rene Binder joining father and son duo Horst Felbermayr and Horst Felix Felbermayr.
2025 F1 Academy Champion Doriane Pin returns to the ELMS paddock with Duqueine Team and will join Giorgio Roda and Richard Verschoor in the no30 Oreca-Gibson.
The 12-car grid is completed by DKR Engineering, Vector Sport and TDS Racing.
Paul Lanchère returns to the LMP3 class to defend his 2025 title he won with CLX Motorsport, the French driver racing alongside his fellow Asian Le Mans Series LMP3 champion Alexander Jacoby and Brazil’s Bruno Ribeiro for the Swiss team.
Michelin Le Mans Cup Champions R-ace GP will enter the only Duqueine D09 on the grid with reigning MLMC LMP3 champion Hugo Schwarze moving up to the ELMS alongside Fabien Michal and Pierre-Alexandre Provost.
After a season competing with a Ginetta, 2021 LMP3 Champions DKR Engineering returning with a single Ligier JS P325, while 2019 Champions Eurointernational will also enter a single Ligier in 2026.
2024 LMP3 champion Nick Adcock moves to French team M Racing alongside Thomas Imbourg and Quentin Antonel.
Spain’s Daniel Nogales will begin his 2026 ELMS campaign racing at home in Barcelona, racing for Team Virage alongside Matteo Quintarelli and Louis Stern.
Inter Europol Competition, Rinaldi Racing, Racing Spirit of Léman and Ultimate will all enter a single Ligier JS P325-Toyota to complete the 10-car LMP3 entry for the 4 Hours of Barcelona.
With a 14-car entry for this year’s race, the LMGT3 category is the largest of the four classes in Spain, with six different manufacturers represented.
Reigning champions TF Sport return to defend their crown with the only Corvette Z06 LMGT3.R on the grid, with drivers’ champion Charlie Eastwood being joined by Americans Blake McDonald and Alec Udell.
2025 LMGT3 Vice Champions Riccardo Agostini and Custodio Toledo return to race the no50 Richard Mille AF Corse Ferrari 296 LMGT3 Evo and will be joined by former FIA GT3 European Champion Francesco Castellacci.
Italian team Iron Lynx will enter a pair of Mercedes-AMG LMGT3s, with the no62 car entered under the Qatari flag for the Team Qatar by Iron Lynx. The no63 Iron Lynx Mercedes-AMG will be driven by reigning LMGT3 champion Rui Andrade, who will share the driving duties with Sergio Sette Camara and Ameerh Naran.
United Autosports will enter the sole McLaren 720S LMGT3 Evo on the grid with an unchanged driver lineup of Michael Birch, Garnet Patterson and Wayne Boyd. 2025 race winners Clément Mateu and Valentin Hasse Clot will race the no59 Racing Spirit of Léman Aston Martin Vantage once again, and they will be joined by Marius Fossard in Spain.
Spanish driver Fran Rueda will race alongside Romain Leroux and Andrew Gilbert in the no74 Kessel Racing Ferrari 296, with the Swiss team also entering a second Ferrari for Takeshi Kimura, Mathys Jaubert and Daniel Serra.
Proton Competition will enter a pair of Porsche 911 GT3.R LMGT3s, with High Class Racing also entering a Porsche 911 in the LMGT3 class.
AF Corse, Spirit of Race and GR Racing all return with a single Ferrari 296 LMGT3 Evo to bring the LMGT3 grid up to an impressive 14 cars.
CLICK HERE for the provisional entry list for the 4 Hours of Barcelona, Round 1 of the 2026 European Le Mans Series.
The 2026 European Le Mans Series will begin on Monday 6 April with The Prologue, the two-day official pre-season test.
The 4 Hours of Barcelona weekend begins on Friday 10 April with Free Practice 1 and the 30-minute Bronze Driver Collective Test.
On Saturday 11 April will feature the second 90-minute Free Practice session followed by qualifying for the 4 Hours of Barcelona. The 4 Hours of Barcelona takes place on Sunday 12 April, with the race due to start at 12h00 and the chequered flag waved four hours later at 16h00.
Tickets are still available from only 8€. CLICK HERE to visit the event page on the official website of the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.
CLICK HERE to view the provisional timetable for the 4 Hours of Barcelona.
A proving ground for teams and drivers with Le Mans in their sights, the European Le Mans Series is live for free on FIAWEC+, the official home of ELMS coverage, with full race broadcasts, replays and highlights throughout the season. Stream every ELMS race for free with a FIAWEC+ account on https://plus.fiawec.com/en/european-le-mans-series
