The 2026 World Endurance Championship will conclude in Europe, with the deliberate occasions within the Center East changed by new races in Barcelona and Monza.
Following visits to Austin and Fuji in September, the championship was supposed to move to the Gulf in September, with the rescheduled Qatar 1812km race set for twenty-four October to be adopted by the standard Bahrain finale on 7 November.
Nonetheless, the ceasefire agreed between Iran and the US/Israel collapsed this month, with each side resuming assaults within the area and business ships persevering with to keep away from the Strait of Hormuz over worry of missile strikes. The scenario posed a selected problem for the WEC, which depends closely on sea freight to move its gear.
Because of this, sequence promoters the FIA and the Vehicle Membership de l’Ouest have opted to desert the financially-lucrative Center East leg in favour of ending the season nearer to the its core European fanbase.
As a part of the up to date calendar, the WEC will make its maiden go to to Spain this yr, with the 6 Hours of Barcelona scheduled on 18 October, per week earlier than the now-cancelled Qatar 1812km. Earlier than being cancelled outright, the 10-hour fixture on the Lusail Worldwide Circuit had already been postponed from March to October after the outbreak of the Iran Battle compelled the WEC to delay the beginning of the season.
#7 Toyota Gazoo Racing Toyota GR010 – Hybrid: Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi, Jose Maria Lopez
Photograph by: Alessio Morgese
The 2026 marketing campaign will now conclude in Italy, with the 6-hour Monza occasion going down on 7 November – the identical date initially earmarked for the Bahrain finale. No point out was made in regards to the rookie take a look at, which historically takes place a day after the season finale.
Monza beforehand hosted three WEC races between 2021-23, earlier than Imola took over because the Italian spherical of the championship.
Frédéric Lequien, CEO, FIA WEC, stated: “We’ve been carefully monitoring developments within the Center East over current months. Just a few weeks in the past, we have been optimistic about with the ability to race in Qatar and Bahrain, however sadly, the current scenario obliges us to modify to another plan.
“We’ve duly resolved to exchange these two end-of-season rounds with Barcelona and Monza. Logistically, it was crucial to take this resolution now to permit producers, groups and the FIA WEC organisation to make all needed preparations.
“I want to warmly thank Qatar and Bahrain for his or her understanding in these instances. We’ve been in fixed dialogue with each tracks and their nationwide federations, and are pleased with the shut, long-standing relationships we’ve constructed within the Center East. They’re massively vital and well-established occasions in FIA WEC, and can stay so for a few years to return.”
Crucially, each Barcelona and Monza will provide a most of 25 factors to the race winner, as per the usual scoring system for six-hour occasions. Had the calendar remained unchanged, the successful crew would have been eligible for 38 factors as a part of the bonus-point system used for longer races.
This could make it tougher for groups to claw again any deficit within the championship combat. The calendar change can also be prone to have a detrimental affect on Toyota, which has been unbeaten in Bahrain within the final 9 years.
The final WEC marketing campaign to conclude in Europe was the 2018-19 ‘superseason’, which featured two editions of the Le Mans 24 Hours.
Up to date 2026 WEC calendar
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