COTA Friday Notebook

***BMW driver Sheldon van der Linde set the quickest time across two practice sessions for this weekend’s Lone Star Le Mans at the Circuit of The Americas with a 1:51.946 in Free Practice 2. That compares favorably to the 1:52.268 set by Ferrari driver Antonio Giovinazzi on the equivalent day during last year’s event.

***Conversely, in LMGT3, the lap times were slower than in 2024, as Sean Gelael’s benchmark of 2:06.545 in the United Autosports McLaren was almost a second behind Dani Juncadella’s chart-topping time on Friday from last year.

***It’s understood a meeting was held at COTA on Friday morning involving representatives from all of the current and incoming WEC Hypercar brands to discuss future regulations for LMH and LMDh, while the current Balance of Performance process — notably criticized by Toyota Gazoo Racing Europe technical boss David Floury after July’s 6 Hours of Sao Paulo — was also a topic of debate.

***While the BoP in Hypercar was based on data taken from the previous two regular WEC rounds for Sao Paulo, the FIA has clarified that this weekend’s figures are being calculated on the best two of the past three rounds, as was the case at Spa.

***HRC US President David Salters is also believed to have been a part of the meeting, with IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship-only competitor Acura also impacted by any rule changes, and was spotted at the circuit on Friday.

***A number of drivers in action at COTA this weekend will be heading directly to Japan to take part in next week’s Suzuka 1000km. They include Alex Riberas, Kevin Estre, Laurens Vanthoor, Kamui Kobayashi, Raffaele Marciello, Ian James, Zacharie Robichon, Augusto Farfus, Kelvin van der Linde, Maxime Martin, Ben Barnicoat and Richard Lietz.

***Peugeot Sport technical director Olivier Jansonnie has explained the logic behind its decision to stay at COTA for a post-race test on Tuesday, when the marque’s 2026 signing Nick Cassidy and reserve driver Theo Pourchaire will be among those in action.

***Jansonnie said: “When we came here last year, it was a very difficult track for us. We have learned from prior tests that you can do things in a much more quiet and analytical way than you would on a race weekend. Since we are quite weak on this track, we felt there is a lot to learn. he track is not completely stupid to work on for Fuji and Bahrain.”

***Peugeot will be sharing the track with BMW, which will stay on for an additional day of running on Wednesday. “We are also running with two cars, which we are allowed to do a couple of times a year, and it’s much easier to do this with the race cars, so it’s an efficient way of doing it,” added Jansonnie.

***Alpine sporting director Nicolas Lapierre is still weighing up how many Evo jokers to use for its 2026 update, having revealed plans to change its aero concept to better suit the two-stage BoP, stating “there is still time” to make a decision.

***Lapierre told Sportscar365: “For sure aero is one of the topics we are working on, but there is plenty of stuff going on in terms of development; our offices are very busy. We are evaluating a lot of different options for jokers.”

***This weekend’s race marks the 99th in the WEC’s history, as the series gears up to celebrate its milestone 100th event later this month at Fuji Speedway. It will be the 12th race to have taken place in the United States, which is behind only Belgium and France (14 each) and Bahrain (13) for races held so far, with Japan set to draw level at Fuji.

***James Calado addressed rumors regarding his future at Ferrari speaking to reporters on Thursday at COTA, stating a desire to extend his relationship with the Italian manufacturer. The British driver is understood to be out of contract after 2025.

***Asked about the status of talks by Sportscar365, Calado said: “I am discussing now with Antonello [Coletta, Ferrari’s global head of endurance] to renew. That is my goal. Ferrari is my home and I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else particularly.”

***Calado added that he is “pretty confident” of staying on but said there was no firm timeline for agreeing a deal. “I don’t know honestly,” he said. “It’s normal for drivers to speak to teams after Le Mans, or even later, but there is no real timeline. It’s just a matter of getting everyone together and sorting out the future.”

***The Heart of Racing driver/team principal Ian James has expressed confidence about a repeat of the team’s victory at COTA last year in the LMGT3 ranks. “I think we have all the ingredients to do it again,” said James. “The Aston is good around here, I know this track really well and I have two great teammates, so there’s no reason why we can’t. But a lot of luck and good timing is needed to win one of these races.”

***On the use of the Goodyear Eagle Hard tire, making its second appearance after debuting in Sao Paulo, James added: “In general I don’t think it will be a game changer. The medium tire is a really good tire, and with these tires, it needs to be scorching hot to be beneficial.”

***TF Sport Corvette driver and Texas native Ben Keating revealed that he will have no fewer than 330 guests present for his home round of the WEC.

***On his first WEC appearance at COTA since 2020, Keating said: “It’s very special for me because it’s close to home and it’s been a while since I raced here at this level. There’s something special for the only WEC race in all of North America to be right here at home. We’ve been working hard to make sure we have a good performance on Sunday.”

***The National Corvette Museum welcomed the 2025 Corvette Hall of Fame class last Friday, as part of its 31st anniversary celebration. Kim Baker, Chuck Jordan, and Jim and Charley Robertson were officially inducted. Since its founding in 1998, the Corvette Hall of Fame has been the highest honor awarded to individuals whose impact has helped shape the legacy of Corvette. With only 89 members inducted over 27 years, the Hall of Fame represents the pinnacle of excellence across the racing, General Motors/Chevrolet, and enthusiast categories.

***Daniel Ricciardo was named as a Ford Racing ambassador on Friday as the Australian Formula 1 grand prix winner confirmed his retirement from active competition — putting an end to any prospect that he may one day try his hand in endurance racing.

***COTA has launched a 2026 ‘Early Bird’ ticket offer that will be available exclusively to fans on-site this weekend. Fans will be able to not only take advantage of significant savings of up to 20 percent, they will also receive a Lone Star Le Mans Challenge coin with their purchase (one per order while supplies last).

***A three-day grounds pass for next year’s event, scheduled for Sept. 4-6, 2026, is priced at $65.00 USD (Regular price $79.00), as well as a three-day Paddock Pass for $80.00 (Regular price $100.00). Fans can purchase at any of the three on-site locations (Grand Plaza Box Office, the Main Grandstand Box Office, as well as the main grandstand sales booth inside the gates).

***Saturday’s on-track action begins with Free Practice 3 at 11 a.m. CDT (12 p.m. EDT), while qualifying is slated to begin at 3 p.m. (4 p.m. EDT).

John Dagys contributed to this report