Who’s driving in WEC’s Bahrain rookie check?

The World Endurance Championship will maintain its conventional rookie check on the Bahrain Worldwide Circuit on Sunday, 9 November – a day after the 2025 season concludes within the Gulf nation.

The check presents groups an opportunity to guage potential expertise and permits newly signed drivers to pattern their automobiles for the primary time.

Previously, a number of high-profile drivers bought their first style of WEC within the Bahrain rookie check, with Fernando Alonso, Sebastien Ogier and Valentino Rossi amongst these from different disciplines to reap the benefits of the event to drive top-level prototypes.

The total entry checklist for this yr’s Bahrain check has but to be revealed, however various Hypercar producers have already introduced who will likely be driving for them on Sunday.

Peugeot’s 2026 recruit Nick Cassidy will make his first official look with the Stellantis marque in Bahrain, as he shares the 9X8 LMH with European Le Mans Collection drivers Alex Quinn and Mathias Beche. 

The Formulation E frontrunner, who final raced within the WEC in 2022 on the wheel of an AF Corse Ferrari 488 in GTE Professional, has already accomplished a personal check aboard the 9X8 after asserting his transfer to Peugeot in September.

In the meantime, Sacha Fenestraz will flip his first laps in Toyota GR010 Hybrid after rejoining the Japanese marque this yr as a part of a twin Tremendous Formulation/Tremendous GT programme. Ben Barnicoat may also be driving for Toyota in Bahrain, having beforehand examined the automobile precisely two years in the past in 2023.

Manufacturing facility BMW drivers Charles Weerts and Kelvin van der Linde have been given the chance to drive the M Hybrid V8 on the Sakhir monitor. Each primarily come from a GT background and have restricted expertise in prototype equipment.

Former Porsche Formulation E star Antonio Felix da Costa will likely be again within the WEC paddock on Sunday, driving the Alpine A424 forward of his first marketing campaign with the Renault-owned model in 2026.

Elsewhere, Ferrari has nominated its work driver Alessio Rovera for the shopper #83 AF Corse 499P in Bahrain. Rovera, together with AF Corse team-mates Simon Mann and Francois Heriau, is within the hunt for the LMGT3 title this weekend. 

One other LMGT3 common will step as much as Hypercar equipment throughout the Bahrain check, as Coronary heart of Racing’s Mattia Drudi drives the brand new V12-powered Aston Martin Valkyrie.

The WEC organisation has additionally chosen Oliver Grey and Thomas Fleming to participate within the Bahrain check on the again of their performances within the ELMS this yr.

Grey, who gained the general ELMS title with Charles Milesi and Esteban Masson, has been nominated to drive the automobile that wins the Hypercar title on Saturday, whereas Fleming will get behind the wheel of the title-winning LMGT3 machine.

Porsche, which is leaving the Hypercar class after this yr, is but to announce whether or not it can participate within the Bahrain check. The German producer, nevertheless, has handed 2024 IMSA GTD Professional champion Laurin Heinrich his maiden Hypercar outing within the season-ending Bahrain 8 Hours, changing Michael Christensen within the #5 963 LMDh.

LMGT3 groups may also be in motion within the Bahrain check.

The total entry checklist will likely be revealed within the coming days.

Bahrain WEC rookie check – confirmed Hypercar drivers:

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– The Motorsport.com Staff