BARCELONA AND MONZA SET TO REPLACE QATAR AND BAHRAIN IN 2026 WEC FINALE
The 2026 FIA WEC is expected to finish its season in Europe after championship organizer Le Mans Endurance Management prepared a new version of the calendar because of the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. The current plan is to replace the planned races in Qatar and Bahrain with events at Barcelona and Monza, although the change still needs official approval from the FIA World Motor Sport Council, which is expected to meet on July 23 as per Racer.
LMEM has been working on backup plans since the Qatar 1812KM, which was supposed to open the season, had to be postponed. With the security situation in the region still uncertain, many manufacturers, suppliers, and other companies involved in the championship have introduced travel restrictions for employees going to the Middle East. Because of this, keeping the final races in Qatar and Bahrain has become increasingly difficult.
If the proposal is approved, the WEC will travel to Barcelona after the 6 Hours of Fuji before ending the season at Monza. The Barcelona race would take place on October 18, one week before the date originally reserved for Qatar, while Monza would host the season finale on November 7, replacing the planned 8 Hours of Bahrain.
Before Barcelona and Monza became the preferred solution, Portimão and Paul Ricard were expected to replace the two Middle Eastern rounds. However, those plans had to be abandoned after MotoGP making it impossible to organize the logistics in time since it races there in November.
The consequences WEC would cause
The new calendar would create a clash with the GT World Challenge Europe season finale at Portimão. Around 19 drivers currently compete in both championships, while teams such as Team WRT, Garage 59, and AF Corse also race in both series.
The changes would also affect the championship points. The planned races in Qatar and Bahrain were due to last eight and ten hours, meaning they would award one-and-a-half times the normal number of championship points.
Barcelona and Monza, however, would both be six-hour races because of the time of year and circuit restrictions. As a result, they would award the standard 25 points for a victory instead of the 38 points available in the longer races.
With fewer points available in the final rounds, teams and drivers trying to catch the championship leaders would have less opportunity to make up ground before the season ends.
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