After securing wins in Imola and Spa-Francorchamps, Paul Lanchère, Alexander Jacoby and Louis Iglesias have amassed a total of 84 championship points and a second-place finish in Portugal would see off the challenge from Silverstone race winners Fabien Michal, Pierre-Alexandre Provost and Hugo Schwarze in the no85 Duqueine-Toyota.
Barcelona race winners Alvise Rodella, José Fernandes Cautela and Mikkel Gaarde Pedersen are 25-points behind in the no5 Rinaldi Racing Ligier and still have a mathematical chance of the title. However, they would need to win the race and hope their two rivals have problems in the final race of the season.
After starting on pole position in Silverstone the no17 CLX Motorsport Ligier finished second behind the no85 R-ace GP Duqueine. “It was defiantly a difficult race but there were many positives that we could take from the race,” said Alexander Jacoby. “While we did not win, we led for a good part of the race and our pace was very good even, on a track that did not suit the Ligier.”
"Silverstone was not only great for the championship but also gave confidence to the whole team going into the final round at Portimão,” said Hugo Schwarze. “We have led every race so far this season but multiple things out of our control never allowed us to win up until Silverstone. We will approach Portimão the same as the previous five races. We will do everything in our control to extract the maximum performance from the car, the drivers and the crew - the rest we can’t control!”
Alexander Jacoby won the Asian Le Mans Series LMP3 title in February with CLX Motorsport and Paul Lanchère. What would it mean to win the 2026 ELMS LMP3 title as well? “It would be a dream come true,” he said. “A double championship victory really would be a great thing to keep in my pocket for the future along with the entry that the team gets for the 24 Hours of Le Mans. It also shows the hard work of all of the staff at CLX who work so hard every day to deliver on track.”
With 9-point advantage over the no85 Duqueine, are CLX going to approach the race in Portimão any differently? “I think that the approach should be no different than any other race,” Jacoby said. “A second place would be enough, but that would be a mistake to focus on the result. We will just follow the process of a race weekend, the stakes will be higher, but this is exactly what we race for.”
So, what does 2025 MLMC LMP3 Champion Hugo Schwarze think of the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve circuit? “Portimão is a cool track, reminding me of some of my favourites such as Brands Hatch and the Nordschleife and which treated us well last year. I really enjoy turns 7 and 8 due to the change in elevation combined with a high- and low-speed corner.”
The 4 Hours of Portimão is Round 6 of the 2026 European Le Mans Series and will take place on Saturday 10 October.
CLICK HERE for the LMP3 championship standings after Round 5, the Goodyear 4 Hours of Silverstone.
Tickets are still available for the 4 Hours of Portimão from only 8€. CLICK HERE for more information.
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