24h Le Mans
Michelin has taken the wraps off its new Pilot Sport Endurance range for the 2026 FIA World Endurance Championship season and the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The exclusive supplier to the Hypercar class has designed the tyre with three aims in mind: performance, longevity and respect for the environment.
French manufacturer Michelin will introduce a brand new generation of tyre for the 2026 FIA World Endurance Championship, including the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The Pilot Sport Endurance range has been conceived to deliver on performance, durability and a more environmentally friendly compound.
With this model, Michelin is taking a significant step forward in endurance tyre development. The tyre has been completely redesigned to meet the challenges of motorsport today: going faster and for longer, while consuming fewer resources. “Since the inception of the Hypercar class, the competitors have pared a second off lap times by optimising tyre use,” says Matthieu Bonardel, Head of the Motorsport Business Line at Michelin. “Given the technical and sporting success, it is tempting to opt for stability. But it’s precisely when everything is running smoothly that we need to be bold and go a stage further.”
This development reflects a clear strategy to be more respectful of the environment as the new range will contain 50% renewable or recycled raw materials. The ambitious initiative is consistent with the drive by the FIA WEC and the 24 Hours of Le Mans to reduce their ecological footprint without sacrificing performance. “Today more than ever, our capacity for innovation is geared towards a vital issue: durability,” Bonardel continues. Michelin can draw on a century of know-how, advanced simulation systems and in-depth work on materials and manufacturing processes to achieve this goal.
For Michelin, motorsport continues to have a role to play as a laboratory for innovation with an ability to transfer the technologies from the racetrack to the road. Endurance races such as the 24 Hours of Le Mans provide a testing ground to put the products through their paces under extreme conditions. Matthieu Bonardel has the final word: “A constant quest for improvement and continued investment are necessary to keep the whole industry moving forward for the benefit of sustainable mobility.”
We look forward to 2026 and seeing the enhanced performance, efficiency and respect for the environment introduced by the Michelin Pilot Sport Endurance tyre on the racetrack.
