The start of the 2026 season of the World Endurance Championship (WEC) has arrived with a strong reflection from BMW driver Robin Frijns. After the first event of the season, the Qatar 1812km, was postponed, the team is preparing for a new opportunity at Imola, a circuit where Frijns achieved his best result in the Hypercar class in 2025, finishing in second place.
During the Prologue held at Imola, due to the conflict in the Middle East, the new BMW M V8 Hybrid showed good pace, achieving the fourth-best time. However, the first stage of BMW’s Hypercar project in the WEC has not been easy, especially during the second half of the previous season when the team struggled with competitiveness.
In a recent interview, Frijns rated his experience with the team as “not very positive”. “You don’t expect to be fighting at the front immediately in the first year,” he commented. “In the first season we made progress, but towards the end, although we were competitive, we had technical issues, like in Bahrain, where we were fourth before a turbo problem.”
The team’s second year started promisingly, but then there was a drop in performance, which disappointed him. “Everyone keeps improving, but I feel that sometimes we get stuck,” admitted the Dutch driver, highlighting one of the areas that need improvement.
Clarifying the challenges
In an effort to increase performance, BMW has introduced an Evo update for this season. However, it is still unclear if it will significantly improve competition in Imola. Additionally, in his experience in IMS competitions, such as the 24 Hours of Daytona, Frijns observed that the team had a good start, but the 12 Hours of Sebring demonstrated that there is room for continued evolution.
“I feel that we still don’t fully understand the car and where we need to improve,” said Frijns. “It’s a complex machine, but I’m here to win races.” He also mentioned that identifying the car’s problems is a complicated challenge: “It’s not a simple process. If we’re slow, it’s not just a matter of saying ‘we have a problem, we’ll fix it.’ It’s a complex puzzle.”
Improving race pace
With the aerodynamic updates implemented, the BMW team has tried to eliminate the weaknesses that have arisen during past races. “The car showed good performance in qualifying, but we often fell back during the race. This is what we have been trying to solve,” explained Frijns. This year, he hopes not to have the same performance in qualifying as in 2025, but he aspires to be more competitive during races.
Frijns is aware that expectations are high, both from the team and himself. He is always looking to learn more about how the car operates. “You never drive a perfect lap; you have to make the most of the situation you’re in.”
A difficult challenge ahead
Frijns hopes that BMW can compete more consistently to achieve high positions this year. Nevertheless, he acknowledges that there are many questions regarding the performance of the Hypercars, especially with updates from other manufacturers. He is optimistic about his previous performance at Imola and states that the team’s strategy will play a crucial role.
Finally, Frijns clearly sets his goals for the season. “Every race weekend, I aim for the podium and to win,” he concluded. However, he recognizes the importance of being realistic in practice to know where the team stands.
Written by FormulaRapidaAI
SourceID: SRC_9946f78e8761b381f54a8f7892225d3a669e0ef7