WEC “Closely Monitoring” Middle East Conflict

Photo: Julien Delfosse/DPPI

The FIA World Endurance Championship is “closely monitoring” the conflict in the Middle East, amid its upcoming scheduled season opener in Qatar.

Both the pre-season Prologue and Qatar 1812km are still currently scheduled to take place at Lusail International Circuit, with activities slated to begin in three weeks’ time with the opening day of the Prologue.

The uncertainty hinges over the United States and Israel’s ongoing military action in Iran, which began on Saturday, and has resulted in retaliatory strikes in the Gulf states, including Qatar.

There have been multiple explosions from attempted missile and drone strikes reported in Doha, including debris from an intercepted missile that landed in a residential area, along with confirmed strikes in neighboring Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates, which has resulted in a closure of air space and the shutdown of all airports until further notice.

Additionally, Dubai International Airport and Zayed International Airport in Abu Dhabi have both received damage from air strikes.

The strikes from Iran began on Saturday afternoon and continue to be an extremely fluid situation, less than 48 hours after the joint U.S./Israel attack that resulted in the death of Iran Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and other high-ranking members.

“The FIA World Endurance Championship is closely monitoring the ongoing situation in the Middle East – a process of rigorous assessment that has been underway for several weeks,” read a statement released by the championship on Sunday.

“The safety and security of our competitors, personnel and fans remains our absolute priority.

“Accordingly, the FIA WEC management is in constant, direct communication with the relevant authorities in Qatar.

“FIA WEC is holding regular meetings with the Qatari authorities regarding the forthcoming Prologue and Qatar 1812km events, scheduled to take place on 22-23 March and 26-28 March respectively.

“We will continue to evaluate the situation daily. Further updates will be communicated if necessary.”

It’s currently unclear if the Qatar race could be postponed to later in the year, potentially paired up with the Bahrain season finale, or even canceled altogether and replaced with a European round to open the campaign.

Adding to the complications is that a significant number of teams already have cars and/or equipment already in the region, with several Hypercar manufacturers having recently tested in Qatar and more were due to test at Bahrain International Circuit in less than two weeks’ time.

Air freighting equipment back to Europe, in time for a new event prior to the currently scheduled second round of the season at Imola in mid-April could prove troublesome.

On a related note, several drivers, including Toyota Gazoo Racing pilot Nyck De Vries and Action Express Racing driver Frederik Vesti, are currently stranded in Bahrain due to the airport and airspace closures.

Both were due to take part in a Pirelli-hosted Formula 1 wet weather tire test this weekend, which was canceled.

John Dagys

John Dagys is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Sportscar365. Dagys spent eight years as a motorsports correspondent for FOXSports.com and SPEED Channel and has contributed to numerous other motorsports publications worldwide. Contact John