Australian racer Garnet Patterson is ready for his second season in the European Le Mans Series driving the McLaren 720S for United Autosports.
Racing alongside his teammates Michael Birch and Wayne Boyd, the 32-year-old from New South Wales ended the 2025 season on a highnote with a second place finish at the 4 Hours of Portimão. The 2014 Australian Formula 3 National Class Champion rejoins his British teammates to challenge for the ELMS LMGT3 title in 2026.
Q1. The 2025 season finished on a high note for you and the team with a podium in Portimao. What is your assessment of 2025 season from your point of view and what are the positives are you taking forward into 2026?
Garnet Patterson: “We had a tricky start to the season, but it was mainly due to it being Michael's first ever year in a GT3 car, so it was quite a tall order - but as we got to the midway point, we all gelled well. He got stuck into it and we finished out the year quite strong. I think we took a lot of positives out of the last round because that's where we really all started to understand the car and work well as a team and a driver crew. The result then came at the last round getting on the podium in Portimao was the perfect way to close out the season and showed real progress for us as a crew. So we'll take that into Barcelona effectively, hopefully starting where we finished off.”
Q2. You are racing with Michael and Wayne again this season. Will this familiarity with your teammates and the whole of the United Autosports team give you an advantage going into the new season?
GP: “I think it does give us a decent advantage going into the new season, just because you all know what each other needs and we know what strength and weaknesses the car has now. We know what we need to do to tune that and obviously with all the tracks being exactly the same as last year that really helps as well. So, I've got good baseline to start every round and we're excited to get going.”
Q3. Barcelona is the first on the unchanged 2026 ELMS calendar. What are your thoughts on the track, and do you have a favourite corner or sequence of corners?
GP: “It's a tricky track, mainly due to the surface and obviously how high the degradation is. We seen last year with different setups on the different cars, there was a massive difference in the delta from start to the end of stint, so from that side, it's tricky.
“The first lap is the most enjoyable lap around there always, when the tire is good but there's a lot to take out of that and I actually enjoy that side with the energy and the tire wear, so I quite like it as a whole. I’d say it's probably my least favourite track out of the whole calendar from a driving point of view, but the last sector is quite fun now that it's changed with some high-speed corners.”
Q4. The LMGT3 category has always been super competitive and 2026 looks like it’s going to be no different. How does the McLaren 720S compare to the other manufacturers on the grid and after the positive end to the 2025 season, what is the goal for the 4 Hours of Barcelona?
GP: “I think it's going to be stronger than it was last year. I think there's a lot of good lineups here now, and a lot of really good bronze drivers – so, I think it's going to be competitive throughout the whole season.
“Our goal, obviously, is to go for the championship and be fighting for podiums every round and we've got to be smart, finish all the races and score points. That's probably the main goal, is just to be super consistent - it's probably the one track that's going to suit us the least, I would say, as far as the McLaren goes. But having said that, we've made some good gains over the winter. Hopefully, we're confident it can be stronger there. So, I guess the goal is really to win every race and be on the podium.”
Q5. Tell us a bit more about Garnet Patterson. What do you like to do when not racing? Do you take part in any other sports? Do you have any hobbies or interests outside of motorsport?
GP: “I'm generally super busy with racing and coaching, that keeps me busy as a whole back in Australia and in Europe, and even throughout Asia. Otherwise, I'm very active - I like to cycle and run quite a lot, I like any sport really, paddle, golf, you name it. Every day I'm doing something to keep active, but generally a lot of cycling and running.”
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
