BMW Pairs Up Van der Linde, Vanthoor in Minor GTP Reshuffle

BMW has presented a unchanged driver roster for its factory LMDh program ahead of the 2026 season, with a lineup reshuffle for its IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship GTP program the only notable change.

Announced on Monday, Sheldon van der Linde has been paired up with Dries Vanthoor aboard the No. 24 BMW M Hybrid V8 in the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, with Philipp Eng instead forming a full season pairing with Marco Wittmann behind the wheel of the No. 25 machine.

Robin Frijns and Kevin Magnussen will serve as the third drivers for the Michelin Endurance Cup rounds aboard the No. 24 and No. 25 cars, respectively.

For January’s Rolex 24 at Daytona, Rene Rast will share the No. 24 BMW with van der Linde, Vanthoor and Frijns, while Raffaele Marciello completes the No. 25 lineup for the Florida endurance classic.

The Munich marque heads into the fourth season of its factory LMDh program with an unchanged roster of eight drivers, having retained all of its names compared to this past season.

It has also made no alterations to its driver pairings in the FIA World Endurance Championship, with Magnussen, Marciello and Vanthoor sharing driving duties aboard the No. 15 car while Frijns, Rast and Van der Linde stay together in the No. 20 machine.

While its driver roster has remained unchanged, BMW is set to head into the new season with significant changes to its top-level prototype effort.

Team WRT will take over the running of the WeatherTech Championship effort from Team RLL, meaning the Vincent Vosse-led squad will run the Dallara-chassised M Hybrid V8 in both championships.

Its car, meanwhile, has received a significant aerodynamic update that features a revised front end with smaller kidney grilles.

“Consistency was our priority when selecting the Hypercar drivers for the 2026 season,” said BMW M Motorsport boss Andreas Roos.

“We are very satisfied with the performance of all eight drivers, and there is no reason to make major changes.

“With every race, our drivers gain more experience with the BMW M Hybrid V8, which is crucial for the continued progress of our programme.

“In 2026, we will race with an updated car and a new team in the IMSA Series.

“That’s enough change, so it was important for us to maintain continuity on the driver side. The key is that everyone works well as a team, pulls together, and advances our LMDh project.

“That’s exactly what’s happening. I’m very much looking forward to continuing this collaboration.”