Lilou Wadoux recovers to P7 in ELMS finale at Portimao
Lilou Wadoux closed her 2026 European Le Mans Series campaign with a points-scoring finish at Portimão, as the Richard Mille AF Corse Ferrari 296 GT3 recovered from an early setback to take seventh in LMGT3 after a strong late charge from the French driver.
Lilou Wadoux closed her 2026 European Le Mans Series campaign with a points-scoring finish at Portimão, as the Richard Mille AF Corse Ferrari 296 GT3 recovered from an early setback to take seventh in LMGT3 after a strong late charge from the French driver.
Sharing the #50 Ferrari with Custodio Toledo and Riccardo Agostini, Wadoux delivered one of the team's strongest stints, setting the car's fastest lap and climbing through the field in the closing stages, although she ultimately ran out of time to challenge for a higher position. The result marked a welcome return to the points after a frustrating season in which repeated incidents had prevented the Ferrari crew from consistently translating its pace into results.
The Portimão round represented the final opportunity for Wadoux and her teammates to end a difficult ELMS campaign on a more positive note. The crew had finished as LMGT3 vice-champions in 2025 after collecting multiple class victories, but their title defence had been repeatedly interrupted by circumstances beyond Wadoux's control.
After missing the Barcelona opener due to a calendar clash, she was unable to complete her scheduled racing stints at Paul Ricard and Spa-Francorchamps following incidents involving teammates. Imola offered a glimpse of the team's potential, with Wadoux charging from ninth to third before a late fuel stop dropped the Ferrari to eighth, but their hopes of further progress were then cut short at Silverstone when a heavy accident involving Toledo during Friday practice left the car beyond repair and forced the team to withdraw before the race.
The Ferrari showed encouraging pace from the beginning of the Portimão weekend. Riccardo Agostini set the car's fastest time in the opening practice session, recording a 1:43.000 to place fourth in LMGT3, before Toledo finished sixth in the bronze-rated drivers' session later in the day. Wadoux then made her mark in final practice, becoming the first member of the crew to break through the 1:43 barrier with a 1:42.913, putting the #50 Ferrari third in class ahead of qualifying.
Toledo took over driving duties for the LMGT3 qualifying session and briefly topped the timesheets in the early stages, initially setting a 1:43.755 before being displaced by Kurzejewski and Al Khelaifi. The Ferrari driver remained among the leading contenders, sitting third midway through the session, but his subsequent attempt yielded a 1:43.987 that was not enough to improve his position. Toledo ultimately qualified seventh in class for Saturday's four-hour season finale.
Under sunny skies on Saturday afternoon, Toledo took the start from sixth in class and immediately made progress, using the outside line to gain a position through the opening phase. The field remained tightly packed, however, and he gradually slipped back to eighth as the other LMGT3 cars fought for position. Toledo remained in the mix and capitalised when several competitors made contact, moving back up to seventh while defending against Martin Berry's Mercedes.
The first interruption came when the Iron Lynx Mercedes of Naran ended up in the gravel following contact with an LMP2 car, triggering the Virtual Safety Car. Toledo was caught up in another incident as well, with the #50 Ferrari being spun around before the #99 AO Racing LMP2 car collected it. The contact dropped Toledo to 11th in class, but he was able to rejoin without major damage and continue the race, preserving the team's hopes of recovering lost ground.
Toledo used the VSC period to make his first pit stop, before a full Safety Car was deployed with the pit lane closed. After the pass-around procedure and the subsequent restart with three hours and 21 minutes remaining, the Ferrari found itself 12th in class. Toledo set about recovering the positions lost in the incident, moving up to 11th and then 10th by lap 22, before continuing to circulate at a consistent pace in the 1:46s. His progress brought the #50 up to ninth, where he remained as the race reached its first hour.
Having completed his driving time, Toledo brought the Ferrari into the pits from ninth on lap 48, handing over to Agostini. The Italian rejoined in eighth and soon moved up to seventh by lap 72, maintaining a solid rhythm in the 1:45s as the team worked its way back towards the front of the class. Agostini's pace remained competitive throughout his stint, although the crew still had a 10-second penalty to serve at its next stop following an earlier unsafe release.
As the pit-stop cycle developed, Agostini climbed as high as second in LMGT3 before bringing the Ferrari in on lap 81 for its third stop. Wadoux took over with one hour and 25 minutes remaining, rejoining the track in 10th place and immediately setting about making up ground.
The French driver wasted little time in showing her pace, recording a 1:44.052 in her first few laps to establish a new fastest lap for the #50 Ferrari. She continued to lap in the 1:44s and, by lap 91, was the fastest driver in the LMGT3 field. Wadoux caught Lorcan Hanafin and made the pass, then began to pull away as she continued her charge through the order. By lap 103, she had climbed to eighth and was gaining around half a second per lap on Hanses ahead, with the final round of pit stops approaching.
As the LMGT3 field began making its final stops around lap 110, Wadoux stayed out longer and briefly climbed as high as second in class. She eventually brought the Ferrari into the pits on lap 113, completing the team's final stop before rejoining in eighth place. With around 23 minutes remaining, a Full Course Yellow was called to clear debris at Turn 1, temporarily interrupting the battles.
Once the race resumed, Wadoux continued to push. She recorded a new fastest lap for the car of 1:43.630 and began closing on the AF Corse Ferrari driven by Conrad Laursen. The gap came down by two seconds over just two laps, with Wadoux becoming the second-fastest driver in class as she searched for a way past. Despite the pace advantage, she was unable to find an opportunity to complete the overtake, ultimately crossing the finish line just four tenths of a second behind Laursen.
Wadoux was subsequently promoted to seventh in LMGT3 after Jaubert received a penalty for a Full Course Yellow infringement, giving the #50 Richard Mille AF Corse crew a positive conclusion to an otherwise difficult season. The result brought the team back into the points for the first time since Imola and confirmed 11th place in the final championship standings.
While Portimão did not deliver the podium challenge that Wadoux and her teammates had hoped for, her late-race performance once again showcased the pace she has shown throughout the campaign.
Wadoux's attention now turns to the GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup finale, which will also take place at Portimão the following weekend.
