MotoGP icon Valentino Rossi will not continue for a third season in the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC), as BMW has announced his removal from their LMGT3 driver lineup. The nine-time motorcycle Grand Prix world champion transitioned to full-time car racing in 2022 following his MotoGP retirement.
Rossi collaborated with the WRT team in the GT World Challenge and debuted in the FIA WEC as a BMW factory driver with the Belgian squad in 2024. Racing car No. 46, Rossi earned his first podium at Imola in just his second WEC event, later securing a third-place finish at Fuji. In 2025, he improved to second place at Imola, but a crash and penalty dashed his hopes of clinching the series title.
At the 2025 Le Mans 24 Hours, an impressive qualifying performance saw the No. 46 WRT BMW realistically contend for the LMGT3 class win. Unfortunately, an electrical fault during the night forced a premature end to their run for the second consecutive year. The team bounced back with a second-place finish at COTA a few months later.
Rossi’s future in WEC has been uncertain for a while, with indications he would be dropped from BMW’s 2026 WRT roster. The team confirmed he will not feature next season, as the No. 46 car will be replaced by the No. 69 entry driven by Anthony McIntosh, Dan Harper, and Parker Thompson. Rossi’s current three-year factory contract with BMW ends this year, though he has expressed interest in moving to the WEC hypercar category by 2025.
While Rossi’s next steps remain unclear, rumors suggest a return to GT World Challenge Europe, where he has three sprint race victories. Despite scaling back his racing commitments in 2025, he continued to compete at the Bathurst 12 Hours and Spa 24 Hours, finishing on the podium at Bathurst. Ahead of the WEC finale in Bahrain, Rossi also helped the No. 46 car win the Intercontinental GT Challenge’s 8 Hours of Indianapolis.
Fan Take: Valentino Rossi’s shift away from WEC marks the end of a significant chapter as one of racing’s most versatile talents pivots yet again. For motorsport fans, his journey highlights how top athletes can successfully cross disciplines, and his future moves will surely be closely watched, potentially influencing GT and endurance racing’s landscape.
