Ferrari won the Hypercar race at COTA, but Aston Martin’s pace in two classes and Heart of Racing’s LMGT3 victory defined the stronger WEC weekend.
Aston Martin left Circuit of the Americas with a result that should change how a successful FIA World Endurance Championship weekend is judged. Ferrari took the Hypercar victory on Sunday, September 6, following Toyota’s late hydraulic failure, but the Heart of Racing Team’s LMGT3 win was the cleaner accomplishment.
A weekend built before Sunday
Execution shapes our verdict. Aston Martin led both Hypercar and LMGT3 in Friday’s second practice, with Harry Tincknell and Zacharie Robichon setting the respective pace. Its Hypercar program remained quickest in Saturday’s third practice, before Heart of Racing continued Aston Martin’s run of LMGT3 poles at COTA.
That sequence matters.
Practice results don’t award championship points, but they show whether performance comes from preparation or chance. Aston Martin displayed speed across two classes and several sessions before Heart of Racing converted its LMGT3 opportunity in the Lone Star Le Mans.
Ferrari’s win came with an asterisk
Ferrari earned its Hypercar victory. Antonio Giovinazzi secured pole after an extraordinary dead heat with Cadillac in qualifying, and the team was ready to capitalize when Toyota suffered its hydraulic problem late in the race.
Still, earning an opportunity differs from controlling a race. Toyota’s failure determined the Hypercar winner. That doesn’t diminish Ferrari’s result, but it does shape our performance verdict. Strong execution and a fortunate break can coexist.
Heart of Racing’s success needs no such caveat. Its home victory completed a weekend in which Aston Martin had already shown genuine pace, rather than gaining the class lead after a rival’s late mechanical collapse.
LMGT3 deserves equal editorial weight
WEC’s Hypercar field naturally draws attention. Ferrari, Toyota and Cadillac contesting identical qualifying times makes compelling viewing. The risk is reducing LMGT3 to supporting material, even when its winner produces the weekend’s most convincing performance.
That framing shortchanges endurance racing. The championship’s appeal comes from simultaneous contests, managing traffic and crews converting speed across hours, rather than allowing one headline class to consume all the attention.
A home victory also has sporting value without promotional overstatement. Heart of Racing delivered at COTA, the American venue on the 2026 calendar, after Aston Martin led both classes during the build-up. It formed a clear performance story from Friday through Sunday.
The Hypercar result still showed Ferrari’s quality
This isn’t a case against Ferrari. Giovinazzi’s pole resolved a qualifying tie with Cadillac in Ferrari’s favor, while the race crew stayed close enough to capitalize immediately on Toyota’s trouble. Endurance racing rewards survival and readiness. Ferrari delivered both.
Our team-of-the-weekend vote goes elsewhere.
Aston Martin accomplished something wider across its WEC operations at COTA. Its Hypercar pace provided evidence of progress, and Heart of Racing produced the result. No other manufacturer combined such clear speed in both categories with a class victory.
Fuji offers the next test
Attention now shifts to Japan, where the 2026 season continues at Fuji on September 27. Aston Martin must convert its Texas Hypercar practice pace into a result, while Heart of Racing must show its COTA victory can travel beyond home ground.
