Arthur Rougier will return to the scene of some very happy memories when the 2026 season launches at Circuit Paul Ricard (10–12 April).
It was at the same circuit, in 2017, that the Limoges-born driver beat Victor Martins to the French F4 title. Within a few years Rougier had swapped single-seaters for sportscars, making his GT World Challenge debut in 2020 with Saintéloc Racing.
He then spent two seasons with Emil Frey Racing – scoring a memorable overall podium on home soil at Magny-Cours in 2021 – before switching to CSA Racing in 2023. After two years running an Audi R8, the French squad linked up with McLaren in 2025, while Rougier joined the marque as a factory driver.
In its very first outing with the 720S GT3 Evo, the CSA crew of Rougier, Simon Gachet and James Kell won the Gold Cup class and finished sixth overall at the season-opening race. As he recalls, it was another happy memory made at Circuit Paul Ricard.
"That was a great way to start with McLaren," says Rougier. "Honestly, we were more ready for the Endurance races than the Sprint races because we'd tested at those tracks, so we had a much better package. That result gave us a lot of momentum and really motivated everyone in the team."
The French squad heads into the 2026 Endurance Cup campaign with an unchanged driver line-up – Rougier, Gachet, Kell – and there's stability on the engineering front, too. Rougier hopes that this will pay off as the CSA-McLaren partnership enters its second season.
"We have our own way of working and it's nice to have that kind of continuity. Now, the target is to fight for the Gold Cup title," he says. "Like last year, we also want to fight for an overall podium. If everything goes well, that's something we can think about. But the level in this championship is crazy: it's so close between being P20 and winning a race!"
Rougier acknowledges that Circuit Paul Ricard is the ideal venue for the team to open the season. Not only does it suit the McLaren, Rougier has driven countless laps at the Var venue and appreciates its unique challenge.
"It’s quite aero dependent,” he says. “Sector three is one of the toughest sectors of the entire season, both as a driver and for the engineers setting up the car. It has long, fast corners like Signes and Le Beausset where you don't have a lot of references. At most tracks you can find references quite easily, but here you just have to feel it!"
The Gold Cup promises to be extremely competitive this season. CSA will have to overcome several strong crews – including rival McLaren squad Garage 59 and BMW powerhouse ROWE Racing – if it is to take the title. But for Rougier, this only adds extra motivation.
"The higher the level, the more meaningful it is to win,” he says. We'll get a good sense for just how high that level is when the season kicks off next month at Circuit Paul Ricard.
Did you know…
Rougier’s overall podium at Magny-Cours in 2021 was extremely special – because he wasn’t on the entry list until Saturday morning. The Frenchman was a very late call-up to the #14 Emil Frey Racing Lamborghini after regular driver Norbert Siedler crashed heavily in practice. Rougier completed a single hardship lap before tackling qualifying, securing P3 on the grid. In the race, he and teammate Alex Fontana finished in the same position and also took victory in the Silver Cup.
