The 2026 European Le Mans Series season kicked off at the ELMS Prologue in Barcelona

For IDEC SPORT, these two days of official testing mark a crucial milestone: a return to the track, the first encounters with the competition, and the chance to put all the work done during the offseason into action.

A return under demanding conditions

As is often the case during the Prologue, track conditions changed significantly over the course of the sessions. Between heavy track traffic and higher-than-usual temperatures for this time of year—around 25 to 30°C—the teams had to adapt.

These factors had a direct impact on the cars’ handling, forcing engineers and drivers to continuously adjust their settings. This was essential to understand how the car reacts under conditions similar to those encountered in a race.

A packed work schedule

For IDEC SPORT, the objective was clear: to make the most of every minute on the track to validate technical and operational choices. On the agenda:

• a series of long runs,
• setup tests,
• work on fuel consumption,
• rehearsal of procedures under real-world conditions.

As Nicolas Minassian notes: “The Prologue also allows us to immerse ourselves once again in the specific environment of the ELMS: traffic management, radio communication, Full Course Yellow procedures, and compliance with sporting and technical regulations. More than just a rehearsal, these tests represent an immediate immersion in the intensity of competition. This is essential groundwork for approaching the first round of the championship with confidence. ”

Encouraging initial results

In terms of performance, IDEC SPORT proved competitive. Car #28 secured a solid second place, while #18 finished in the top 5 with a fifth-place finish. These are promising results, even if the main focus remains elsewhere at this stage of the season: understanding, learning, and ensuring the reliability of all processes.

Teamwork at the heart of the Prologue

The 2026 season also marks an evolution within the team, with the addition of new members. Although they have been part of the team for several months during winter testing and/or at the workshop in Signes, the Prologue represents their first true immersion in race conditions.

In an environment where pressure builds rapidly and room for error is limited, these days are crucial for strengthening team cohesion, streamlining communication, and aligning all team members toward a common goal.

Heading into the first round

With this Prologue, IDEC SPORT is fully entering its season. The lessons learned from these two days will allow the team to fine-tune the final details before the championship’s first round. The next event is already set: starting Friday, Free Practice 1 will mark the true start of the competition.

In a championship as competitive as the ELMS, every detail counts. And Barcelona, true to its reputation, will leave no room for improvisation.

Nicolas Drouelle, Head of the #18 and #28 Engineering Teams

“The season is finally underway. These two days of the prologue are pretty intense because we’re driving a lot; we’re using these days to validate a number of things, we’re pushing the drivers hard, and we’re getting back into the rhythm under conditions that are quite different from what we encountered during our winter tests. Right now, it’s pretty hot on the track, and the tires are suffering a bit on a surface with a lot of grip. It’s quite challenging to find the right balance in the setups, but we have a solid foundation to work from, which gives us reason to be optimistic. Now, as is the case every year, we know full well that between Monday and Tuesday’s prologue and Friday’s free practice sessions, the track will change significantly because other categories will be out there, laying down rubber different from Goodyear’s, which will result in different grip levels. In terms of track temperature and track conditions, we’re likely to see the same conditions, maybe even a bit cooler, which could work in our favor. Time for analysis over the next two days, and a thorough check of both our cars.”

Jamie Chadwick, #18

“It’s exciting; there’s always a lot of anticipation before the start, but yes, it’s good to have completed our first laps, and we’ve done a lot of them, which is the main thing. We’ve worked on quite a few different things. It’s true, it’s always a bit difficult to judge exactly what we’ll experience during a race weekend on days like this, but I think we’ve made very good progress, and yes, we’ve tried a lot of different things; we’ve worked well with the whole team and my two teammates as well, so I think we’re in a good position. There are obviously still things to figure out and we want to find more, but I’m looking forward to the race weekend now. It’s always very hard to know what the others are doing on days like this. There are optimal testing conditions, there’s traffic, there are so many different factors. So it’s hard to predict, but I think we’ll go in without too many expectations and hope for the best. We’ll just keep following our program and hope it pays off.”

Paul-Loup Chatin, #28

“These have been two good days of testing. We’ve shown a decent performance. There’s obviously still work to be done. Many teams are improving very, very quickly, and we know it’s going to be a tight race. We’ve worked hard; there are positives, and we’ve identified areas for improvement. We still have two days to optimize. I’m proud of the work done by the team and with my teammates, Job and Paul. However, we’re expecting different conditions starting Saturday: it might get colder. These temperature fluctuations are one of the keys to success in Barcelona. The other will be tire management. Barcelona is a track that wears tires out tremendously, with 70% of the turns being right-handers. So we need to keep the left-hand tires in good shape. Because that little “extra push”—meaning how we’ll break in and stress the tire during the first few laps to gain two or three tenths per lap over the first five laps—can come back to haunt us by the end of the weekend. It’s up to us to make the most of it and stick to the right approach.”

The date is set. Time to hit the track.

Free practice 1 will take place on Friday, April 10, at 11:50 a.m. Free practice 2 is scheduled for Saturday morning at 10:10 a.m., followed by qualifying (4:20 p.m. for LMP2), which can be watched live. The 4 Hours of Barcelona will start on Sunday, April 12, at 12:00 p.m. The race will be broadcast for free live and in its entirety.