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United Autosports and TF Sport secure titles in dramatic Portimao finale
A chaotic 4 Hours of Portimao finale decided championships across the board with late penalties and high-stakes battles in Portugal.
By Michael de Vries - 2026-10-11T14:19:00.000Z - 3 min read
The 2026 European Le Mans Series season concluded with a chaotic and drama-filled 4 Hours of Portimao in Portugal, where titles were decided in the dying moments of the race. United Autosports claimed the overall LMP2 championship after a commanding performance from the pole-sitting no22 Oreca crew. Griffin Peebles controlled the early running from the front before handing over to his teammates. Ben Hanley crossed the finish line twelve seconds clear of the chasing pack to secure the team's first title in the class since 2020 alongside co-drivers Peebles and Gregoire Saucy.
Behind the dominant United Autosports machine, the no18 IDEC Sport and no43 Inter Europol Competition Orecas completed the overall podium. Meanwhile, the reigning 2025 champion Esteban Masson drove to a fourth-place finish, which proved sufficient to secure a coveted automatic entry to the 24 Hours of Le Mans for the Forestier Racing by Panis outfit. The race for supremacy in the LMP2 Pro-Am division provided even more late-race theatre when TDS Racing suffered heartbreak on the final tour.
Scott Huffaker looked set to seal the Pro-Am crown for TDS Racing after leading the class during the closing hour. The no20 Algarve Pro Racing Oreca driven by Malthe Jakobsen charged hard in the final stages to hunt down the leader, though time appeared to run out for the Danish driver. However, a dramatic twist materialized when Huffaker was penalized for track limits on the final lap. The resulting drive-through penalty was converted into a time sanction that dropped the no14 entry down to third position behind the no47 CLX Motorsport Oreca.
The late penalty handed victory and the LMP2 Pro-Am championship to the Algarve Pro Racing trio of Michael Jensen, Enzo Trulli, and Malthe Jakobsen. The championship battle had also seen drama earlier when the leading no83 AF Corse entry hit mechanical trouble, forcing the Italian team into the pits and dropping them down to eleventh place in class. In the LMP3 category, the no17 CLX Motorsport Ligier defended its crown with a dominant victory from pole position, finishing a full lap ahead of its nearest rivals.
Paul Lanchere claimed his second consecutive LMP3 title alongside Alexander Jacoby, who added the European crown to his earlier Asian Le Mans Series success, with Louis Iglesias securing vice-champion honors. The title defense for CLX Motorsport was made easier when their primary championship rivals, the no85 R-ace GP Duqueine, lost a lap due to a poorly timed strategy gamble under the Virtual Safety Car compounded by a red light at the pit exit. The incident effectively ended the challenger's championship aspirations.
The LMGT3 championship fight went down to the wire in an intense multi-car battle. Proton Competition's Tom Sargent drove the no75 Porsche to a commanding race victory, but the German squad required TF Sport to finish lower than second place to snatch the title. Charlie Eastwood found himself under relentless pressure in the no33 Corvette, fending off attacks from Benjamin Paque in the no54 High Class Racing Porsche and Mathys Jaubert in the no57 Kessel Racing Ferrari.
As the battle reached its fever pitch on the final lap, Jaubert received a heavy three-minute stop-and-go penalty for pitting under a Full Course Yellow. The penalty relieved the pressure on Eastwood, who brought the Corvette home twenty-one seconds behind the race-winning Porsche. The result ensured back-to-back LMGT3 titles for Eastwood, who shared the success with American teammates Blake McDonald and Alec Udell. The championship-leading no62 Team Qatar by Iron Lynx Mercedes-AMG saw their title hopes evaporate earlier in the race following a pitlane speeding penalty.
The eventful conclusion in Portugal brought down the curtain on another intense endurance racing campaign. With multiple championships swinging on late penalties, technical issues, and tactical gambles, the 4 Hours of Portimão delivered a fittingly unpredictable climax to the season.