No F1 Clashes With Major Sports Car Enduros in 2027

The provisional 2027 Formula 1 calendar does not feature any clashes with the marquee European 24-hour sports car races, opening the door for Lando Norris to contest the 24 Hours of Le Mans with McLaren.

The reigning F1 champion completed a test at Portimao in McLaren’s new MCL-HY Hypercar challenger on Monday, having previously driven the car at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in July.

Sportscar365 understands that McLaren has been deliberately keeping two of its six FIA World Endurance Championship seats open for its debut season to evaluate different options, including potentially enabling Norris and IndyCar legend Scott Dixon to race at Le Mans, should their schedules allow.

The 2027 F1 calendar has now been published and there is not a clash with the June 9-13 date for Le Mans.

The La Sarthe contest has coincided with F1 rounds for the past two years, but on the last two occasions when an active F1 driver took part, they have triumphed: Fernando Alonso at the wheel of a Toyota TS050 Hybrid in 2018 and Nico Hulkenberg driving a Porsche 919 Hybrid in 2015.

There are also no F1 events planned on the weekends of the Nürburgring 24 (May 27-30) or CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa (June 24-27) races next year either, thereby enabling four-time F1 champion Max Verstappen to potentially make further GT3 appearances.

He starred at the N24 this year at the wheel of a Winward Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo and Spa 24H organizer SRO Motorsports Group had previously stated that it was prepared to move the date of the Belgian endurance classic if required to avoid an F1 clash.

However, the 2027 F1 calendar currently features four races in the Middle East, including Bahrain and Saudi Arabian events to start the season, and could therefore be subject to changes if the ongoing conflict in the region continues.