After securing their fourth podium of the season in Silverstone, the no22 United Autosports Oreca leads the championship standings. Ben Hanley, Griffin Peebles and Grégoire Saucy have a 13-point advantage over their nearest rivals and have already secured one of the two automatic invitations to Le Mans.
With one victory in Le Castellet, podiums in Barcelona, Imola and Silverstone and a fourth place in Spa-Francorchamps, the United Autosports crew have been very consistent in their results so far. “Consistency is always key when going for a championship,” said Ben Hanley. “Obviously winning in Le Castellet is a highlight, but Silverstone was just as satisfying. With the race being in tricky conditions and at one point being towards the back of the LMP2 group coming back through to P3 was a very nice result. It goes back to the 'consistency is key' point.”
Forestier Racing by Panis are still in the hunt for the 2026 title with reigning driver champions Esteban Masson and Oliver Gray, along with their French teammate Louis Rousset, travelling to Portimão with 72-points and two wins in Barcelona and Imola to their credit. Silverstone saw their title charge faulter slightly when they finished 9th in class in the tricky conditions.
“Indeed, it was a hard four-hour race in Silverstone for our no29 car,” said Esteban Masson. “However, we’re one of the teams still in contention for the title, so we can be proud of that, especially when considering we had an unfortunate DNF in Paul Ricard due to a technical issue.
“I think the main goal in Portimão will be to be faultless and have the best weekend we can. The clear target to gather as many points as possible, and we’ll see where that puts us after the four hours of racing we have left.”
United Autosports need to finish third or higher to put the title beyond any doubt but, with one eye on the title, will the team be approaching the race any differently? “No” was Ben Hanley’s short answer. “From a driver’s point of view, we still just need to focus on ourselves and approach the weekend with the aim to win. If we do that, we don't need to think about the other results.”
What would it mean to the team to win the 2026 ELMS title in Portimão? “It would mean a lot,” Hanley admitted. “As a group we had a tricky season last year in the ELMS, so it would be a great reward for everyone’s hard work to get back into the championship fight this year.”
“To win the title back-to-back would obviously be an amazing accomplishment for my whole team and myself,” said Masson. “I’m really looking forward to being on track with my teammates Louis Rousset & Ollie Gray. To do the double with Ollie, with whom I shared the car last year, would be great too.”
While they have one eye on the title, Forestier Racing by Panis also needs to finish 5th or higher to secure the second Le Mans invite. However, they still face a strong challenge from Algarve Pro Racing, who are 18-points behind, IDEC Sport, who are 20-points behind, and Inter Europol Competition with a gap of 21-points to the French team. It remains to be seen if any of these teams are able to overhaul the reigning champions and finish the season as Vice Champions.
The 4 Hours of Portimão is round six of the 2026 European Le Mans Series and will be the deciding event for all four ELMS titles on Saturday 10 October.
CLICK HERE for the LMP2 championship standings after Round 5, the Goodyear 4 Hours of Silverstone.
CLICK HERE to view the event programme for the 4 Hours of Portimão.
Tickets are still available for the 4 Hours of Portimão from only 8€. CLICK HERE for more information.
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