# Algarve Pro Racing Break Through at Silverstone as Title Races Tighten Heading to Portimão

**By Luca Bertolini**  \nPublished September 13, 2026  \nUpdated September 13, 2026

> Ben Barnicoat, Jake Hughes, and Matthias Kaiser took the #25 Algarve Pro Racing Oreca to victory at Silverstone, while updated standings reshape the title math across all four ELMS classes.

When the European Le Mans Series returned to Silverstone for the fifth round of the campaign, the British circuit provided a stern test of speed and strategy. Algarve Pro Racing mastered the high-speed layout to claim a maximum 25-point victory in the Goodyear 4 Hours of Silverstone, marking the #25 Oreca team's first win of the season and lifting them into third place in the overall LMP2 standings.

With driver Ben Barnicoat joining Jake Hughes and Matthias Kaiser, the #25 entry produced a clean performance to triumph in Northamptonshire. Prior to Sunday, Algarve Pro Racing had logged 29 points across four rounds—collecting modest scores in Barcelona and Le Castellet before securing a podium third at Imola and a fifth-place finish at Spa-Francorchamps. Their 25-point harvest at Silverstone raises Hughes and Kaiser to 54 total points for the season.

## LMP2 Championship Calculations: United Autosports Hold the Edge

Despite Algarve Pro Racing standing atop the podium, championship leaders #22 United Autosports expanded their cushion at the top of the LMP2 table. Drivers Benjamin Hanley, Grégoire Saucy, and Griffin Peebles earned 15 points for finishing third, moving their season total to 85 points. Their steady campaign—built on a victory at Le Castellet alongside podiums in Barcelona, Imola, and Silverstone—gives them a 13-point cushion going into the finale.

Their closest title rivals, the #29 Forestier Racing by Panis crew of Esteban Masson, Louis Rousset, and Oliver Gray, endured a tough afternoon. Having secured victories at Barcelona and Imola along with a second-place finish at Spa-Francorchamps, the #29 car collected just 2 points for a lower-tier finish, leaving them on 72 points overall.

caption Standings: LMP2 Teams Classification After Round 5 (Silverstone)theadtrthPosthN°thTeamthSilverstone PtsthTotal Ptstbodytrtd1td#22tdUnited Autosportstd15td85trtd2td#29tdForestier Racing by Panistd2td72trtd3td#25tdAlgarve Pro Racingtd25td54trtd4td#18tdIDEC Sporttd0td52trtd5td#34tdInter Europol Competitiontd8td51The #18 IDEC Sport Oreca failed to score at Silverstone, keeping their total at 52 points and dropping them behind Algarve Pro Racing to fourth place in the standings.

## Pro/Am and LMP3 Title Fights Shift

The LMP2 Pro/Am division saw a significant swing as the #14 TDS Racing Oreca achieved a clean sweep of the round. Drivers Sami Meguetounif, Scott Huffaker II, and Steven Thomas scored pole position for 1 bonus point and took the class win for 25 points. That 26-point weekend pushed TDS Racing to 62 points, leaving them just 5 points behind class leaders #83 AF Corse (67 points), who finished sixth at Silverstone.

The Pro/Am title chase is now a four-way battle, with #30 Duqueine Team and #20 Algarve Pro Racing tied at 61 points just behind TDS Racing. Duqueine earned 12 points at Silverstone, while the #20 Algarve Pro entry registered a non-score.

In LMP3, #85 R-ace GP took victory on track, scoring 25 points through Fabien Michal, Hugo Schwarze, and Pierre-Alexandre Provost to reach 75 points overall. However, class leaders #17 CLX Motorsport limited the damage. Drivers Alexander Jacoby and Paul Lanchere claimed pole position and finished second to take 19 points, maintaining their lead at the top of the LMP3 table with 84 points.

## LMGT3 Realignment at the Summit

The LMGT3 class saw a change at the top of the standings after #62 Team Qatar by Iron Lynx put together a maximum-point weekend. Drivers Abdulla Ali Al-Khelaifi and Julian Hanses earned pole position for 1 bonus point and took the race victory for 25 points, advancing their driver classification total to 73 points to assume the championship lead. Teammate Ralf Aron, who joined the entry for Round 5, collected 26 points for his individual tally.

Title contender #33 TF Sport added 18 points for a second-place finish, staying close behind on 70 points. Proton Competition's #77 entry finished third to reach 62 points, while their #75 entry added 8 points to sit on 61 points.

## Evidence-Led Forecast: Title Deciders at Portimão

The European Le Mans Series season concludes on October 10 at the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve in Portimão. Based on current standings and mathematical requirements, the final round sets up distinct scenarios across the classes:

- **LMP2 Overall Math:** United Autosports (#22) lead Forestier Racing by Panis (#29) by 13 points (85 to 72). A third-place finish (15 points) or higher at Portimão mathematically guarantees United Autosports the overall championship regardless of what Forestier Racing accomplishes. A fourth-place finish (12 points) would leave United on 97 points; if Forestier Racing score a maximum 26 points for pole and victory, Panis would reach 98 points and snatch the title. Furthermore, if Panis take victory without pole (25 points) and United finish fourth, both entries would tie on 97 points, but Panis would win the title on a tiebreaker with 3 victories to United's 1.
- **LMP2 Pro/Am Tightness:** With AF Corse (#83) holding a 5-point lead over TDS Racing (#14), and both Duqueine Team (#30) and Algarve Pro Racing (#20) sitting 6 points back, execution during pit pitstops and traffic management on Portimão's elevation changes will decide the champion.
- **LMGT3 Direct Duel:** Just 3 points separate Team Qatar by Iron Lynx (#62) and TF Sport (#33). With the gap smaller than the difference between first and second place (7 points), whichever car finishes ahead in a high-scoring position is positioned to secure the class title.

## Sources

- [europeanlemansseries.com](https://www.europeanlemansseries.com/en/season/2026) — original
- [24h-lemans.com](https://www.24h-lemans.com/en/news/elms-back-to-the-top-step-for-inter-europol-competition-at-spa-francorchamps-60949) — original
- [lemans.org](https://www.lemans.org/en/championships/elms) — original