Valentino Rossi Leaves BMW WEC Team After 2025

Valentino Rossi, the nine-time motorcycle Grand Prix world champion known as The Doctor, will depart from BMW's lineup in the FIA World Endurance Championship after two seasons, the German manufacturer confirmed this week. The 46-year-old Italian, who transitioned from two wheels to four following his final MotoGP campaign in 2021, raced full-time in the series for Team WRT starting in 2024 but will not continue into 2026.

Rossi joined BMW after a brief stint with Audi in 2022 and a year in the GT World Challenge with WRT in 2023. Driving the No. 46 BMW M4 GT3 in the LMGT3 class, he quickly adapted to endurance racing, securing podium finishes in his debut season. At Imola in 2024, he placed second in his second WEC event, followed by third at Fuji later that year. The 2025 season brought another runner-up result at Imola, though a collision and penalty cost him a potential victory, and he finished second at Circuit of the Americas.

His most prominent challenges came at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, where the No. 46 entry showed strong pace but failed to complete either race. In 2024, a setback involving teammate Ahmad Al Harthy halted their progress while leading the class. The...