Ferrari wins Lone Star Le Mans after Toyota's late hydraulic failure
Ferrari's No. 50 crew of Nicklas Nielsen, Antonio Fuoco, and Miguel Molina claimed their first WEC win of 2026 after Nyck de Vries' Toyota suffered a hydraulic issue with 15 minutes remaining. The No. 38 Cadillac moved to second after a five-second penalty dropped Alpine to third. Toyota still extended its championship lead, with BMW nine points behind and three races left.
The victory marked Ferrari's first win of the 2026 season after a string of near-misses, with the No. 50 crew benefiting from a race that swung repeatedly on strategy calls, slow pit stops, and two caution periods. Early rain showers forced teams into split tire strategies, and the No. 51 sister Ferrari lost ground when Calado's engine stalled during a stop, costing roughly 30 seconds.
Toyota's No. 7 car had looked dominant in the closing hour, with de Vries building a comfortable margin over Milesi before the hydraulic failure forced an unscheduled pit stop. The result leaves Toyota still winless at Circuit of the Americas, while the No. 8 car's sixth-place finish preserved its championship advantage over BMW with three rounds remaining.
This result could reshape the WEC title fight, as Toyota's narrow nine-point lead over BMW leaves the championship genuinely open heading into the final three races. For fans, the late mechanical failure reinforces how endurance racing's unpredictability can decide championships, while Ferrari's breakthrough may boost the series' competitive credibility and viewer interest as multiple manufacturers remain mathematically alive in the standings.