Prologue Could Be Postponed Due to Delayed Sea Freight

Photo: John Dagys

The start of the FIA World Endurance Championship Prologue could be postponed due to delayed sea-freight that has impacted more than half of the grid.

It comes less than 48 hours prior to the scheduled start of the official pre-season test at Lusail International Circuit in Qatar on Saturday.

“Due to ongoing disruption to the shipping route in the Red Sea, a number of shipping containers were delayed on their way to Qatar for the opening round of the FIA World Endurance Championship,” read an official WEC statement provided to Sportscar365.

“The championship is expecting a 24-48 hour delay to some of the freight arriving at the circuit and keeping teams updated regularly on the progress.

“The schedule of the Prologue, therefore, may change and a decision is expected shortly.”

The majority of the 19-car LMGT3 field, along with the Chip Ganassi Racing-run Cadillac V-Series.R, have yet to arrive at Lusail as of Thursday evening.

The only LMGT3 cars that appear to be on-site are the TF Sport Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.Rs, the two United Autosports McLaren 720S GT3 Evos, a Proton Competition Ford Mustang GT3 and both of the Iron Lynx Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO2s.

TF Sport and United had already been in the region following testing at the Dubai Autodrome, while it’s believed Proton’s Mustang GT3 and the Lamborghini GT3 cars have been airfreighted from Daytona.

Multiple teams, including United, were seen unloading recently arrived containers, while the majority of competitors are still missing key support equipment such as pit box setups, spare parts and other components.

French publication Endurance-Info reported that WEC’s freight were unloaded in Jeddah and the containers are now being transported by truck to Qatar, which is estimated to be a 900-mile or 16-hour drive.

Official track activity for the season-opening Qatar 1812km is scheduled to get underway on Thurs. Feb. 29 ahead of the ten-hour race on Sat. March 2, which would allow for the postponement in testing by a day or two, should it be necessary.

The potential delayed start for WEC competitors comes in the wake of the Hankook 24H Dubai, which was postponed by two weeks also due to sea-freight issues in the Red Sea.

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