WEC Reshuffles Calendar Amid Middle East Conflict
The World Endurance Championship has moved the rounds originally scheduled for Qatar and Bahrain to the circuits at Barcelona (October 18) and Monza (November 8) to avoid the ongoing war in the Middle. . .
The World Endurance Championship has moved the rounds originally scheduled for Qatar and Bahrain to the circuits at Barcelona (October 18) and Monza (November 8) to avoid the ongoing war in the Middle East. Pierre Fillon, president of the Automobile Club de l’Ouest which co-sanctions the WEC with the FIA, said the series was fully committed to returning to the Middle East next season, where Qatar and Bahrain are listed on the nine-race 2027 calendar. “The ACO has built strong and lasting relationships with governments, motorsport federations, promoters, and partners across the Middle East,” said Fillon. “I would like to express my sincere gratitude to our colleagues in Qatar and Bahrain for their remarkable commitment and for the considerable efforts they have made over recent weeks in an attempt to preserve these two events. ”Both European races will be six-hour events, awarding standard points instead of the co-efficient of 1. 5 points originally on offer for the 10-hour in Qatar and the eight-hour in Bahrain. Toyota currently leads the manufacturers championship by five points over BMW with four rounds remaining, starting with the Lone Star Le Mans at the Circuit of the Americas on September 6. IVAN COUTURIER//Getty ImagesFerrari trails Toyota by 44 points. Ferrari has been the most vocal of teams about the challenges of transporting equipment to and from Qatar and Bahrain, which along with other nations on the Arabian Gulf have been subject to bombardment from US adversary Iran in the ongoing war. But the decision to award standard points for the six-hour races may hurt the Italian squad’s chances to defend its manufacturers’ championship. Third-placed Ferrari trails Toyota by 44 points. In the drivers’ championship, where Robin Frijns and Rene Rast of WRT’s BMW team are tied for the lead with Toyota’s Kamui Kobayashi, Mike Conway and Nyck de Vries, the top six pairings are within 25 points of one another and less likely to be affected by fewer points on offer. Barcelona will host the WEC for the first time. Monza hosted races from 2021-2023 under the current iteration of the WEC in addition to participating over the decades in the endurance championships sanctioned by the FIA. It will be the second race in Italy this year. The series opened the season at Imola when the Qatar round, scheduled in March, was first postponed to this fall due to the initial outbreak of the war on Feb. 28. Bahrain was originally scheduled to be the season finale.