WEC Season Preview: Lexus

The No.78 and No.87 RC F GT3s that will compete in 2026, pictured during the Shakedown Test in Nogaro | Credit: Akkodis ASP Team via LinkedIn

Fresh off their sophomore FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) season, Akkodis ASP Lexus already set eyes on even bigger prospects in 2026. The French-based team enjoyed a massive improvement from their debut season, after taking several pole positions and victories last year.

2025 season summary

In 2024, Lexus made its WEC debut with the RC F GT3 with ASP. Their debut season was difficult to say the least, with their cars sitting at the back of the championship. The leading car was the No.78, which finished 16th, while the No.87 car was last in 18th.

The drivers who were involved in ASP's debut season were: Arnold Robin, Kelvin van der Linde, Timur Boguslavskiy, Clemens Schmid, Ritomo Miyata, Conrad Laursen, Esteban Masson, Takeshi Kimura, José María López and Jack Hawksworth.

For the 2025 season, ASP Founder and Team Principal Jérôme Policand overhauled the lineup for both cars. After several lineup tweaks between the 2024 rounds, the team opted for stability in both cars.

Robin was once again trusted to lead the No.78 car, and he was joined by rookie Finn Gehrsitz as the full-timers. Filling the third post would be a rotation between the Lexus factory driver Ben Barnicoat. Masson, Yuichi Nakayama and Hawksworth would fill Barnicoat's post whenever he is unavailable.

Experience was the guiding philosophy in choosing the No.87 lineup. López once again led the charge, with the team relying on his experience to further extract the most out of the RC F GT3. Joining him were Schmid, who was transferred from the No.78 car and GT World Challenge regular, Petru Umbrărescu.

Toyota Gazoo Racing and ASP Lexus group photo in Qatar | Credit: Javier Jimenez / DPPI

The team started the season with a mixed note in Qatar, where the No.78 car took a strong fourth place, while the No.87 car retired from the race due to left-hand side damage during an overtake attempt. They may have missed out on the podium, but Policand deemed it a "small victory" as it was their best-ever finish in the WEC.

But it was in Imola where ASP showed their rivals what they can do. Schmid put the No.87 car on the front row, with Gehrsitz in fifth for the No.78 car. The latter car would capitalise on what Schmid deemed a mistake, into Lexus' first WEC podium.

In Spa-Francorchamps, Gehrsitz took the No.78 car for Lexus' first pole position, while Schmid settled for 10th after steering problems. However, frequent cautions coupled with a penalty denied them a chance to make it two podiums in a row. A fuel pump issue ended No.87's race early.

During the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the No.87 car "pushed like hell", and the drivers' strong determination was rewarded with a Top 5 finish. No.78's race ended with four hours to go, with damage on its left side and broken suspension when Gehrsitz went through the gravel trap and hit the tyre wall.

The No.87 drivers were the first to take Lexus' first WEC victory during the 6 Hours of São Paulo | Credit: DPPI

The No.87 drivers carried their strong momentum from Le Mans to São Paulo, where they took the team and Lexus' first WEC victory. The No.78 car came home in fifth place. It was an "amazing feeling" for the hardworking crew.

Lone Star Le Mans and the Fuji rounds were difficult for both cars, but the team would finish the year on a high note as the No.87 car took the second victory of the season in Bahrain and finished third in the championship, with the No.78 car in ninth.

It was a massive improvement over the team's debut season, when they finished at the bottom of the standings.

What's new for 2026?

The car

The RC F GT3 will enter its third year of service in WEC. It is the most seasoned car on the grid, having been featured in various motorsport series worldwide since 2017. It received updates annually to keep it on par with its newer rivals.

For the 2026 season, the RC F GT3 will receive a series of targeted updates to compete with the latest "Evo" machinery from rival manufacturers.

During an interview with DIVEBOMB in February, Schmid explained that he and the team know what the car needs to be fast. They are banking on running the most mature platform on the grid as an advantage, as their rivals would be debuting major updates and facelifts.

The personnel

For the 2026 season, the No.78 car features a revamped lineup with Masson returning to a full-time seat. The 21-year-old will be joined by veteran Tom Van Rompuy, who previously raced for TF Sport last season, and the 2025 Le Mans Cup LMP3 Drivers' champion, Hadrien David, set to make his WEC debut this year.

Hadrien David (pictured during the 2025 Rookie Test in Bahrain) would make his WEC debut with the No.78 car | Credit: Javier Jimenez / DPPI

Continuity is the name of the game for the No.87 car. The trio of López, Schmid and Umbrărescu return in an unchanged lineup along with their engineer for 2026. Toyota Racing advised ASP to retain the same lineup due to their strong championship finish and strong driver chemistry.

ASP Lexus have their say for the 2026 season

Jérôme Policand

Policand reflected on how challenging the team's debut season was and getting to grips with Lexus. They spent the rest of 2024 on "learning and understanding" both the series and the car.

The strong performance in 2025 was evidence of their improvement from their debut season. Two victories last year showed that both the car and the team were competitive, turning their pace into solid results and gave them a huge morale boost.

The Frenchman outlined his objectives for 2026 clearly: "This season, our first objective will be to achieve greater consistency and aim to score points at every race. Consistency is the key to success in this championship.

"Even if we cannot realistically expect to fight for the podium at every round, the priority will be to bring home points whenever possible. This pursuit of points will be our main target, with two driver line-ups that are very closely matched in terms of performance."

The new No.78 car takes to the track in Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya | Credit: Curbstone

He added how the team is eager to end RC F GT3's chapter on a high note: "We will also be keen to finish this chapter on a high [note] with the Lexus RC F GT3.

"It is a car that we have, in many ways, helped revive in Europe, and it has proven that it remains highly competitive. Until the next model arrives, the RC F GT3 will remain the car that sealed the partnership between Toyota and Akkodis ASP Team.

"We will therefore do everything we can to deliver stronger results and add a few more lines to its already impressive record before it takes its final bow."

Clemens Schmid

Austrian ace Schmid is confident that the team can carry their strong momentum from last year with continuity as their main strength: "The team knows exactly what the car needs.

"We know what the car needs to be fast. We have a lot of data, which I think half of the grid will have to make up again as they have updates or big facelifts on the cars.

"In the first race, we will need to see how everything is balanced out with so many updated cars. But overall, I think we should have a strong package from the get-go."

From the previous interview with DIVEBOMB, the 35-year-old commented that his continued partnership with López and Umbrărescu is a "big advantage" and allowed the trio to "get the best of themselves."

As the RC F GT3 prepares for its final world tour, it does so in the hands of a team that finally speaks its language fluently. If 2024 was about survival and 2025 was about improvement, 2026 is about the legacy. For Policand and his squad, the mission is simple: give the RC F GT3 grid the golden sunset it deserves.