Teams to Choose Prologue Test Day Amid Sebring Clash

Photo: Fabrizio Boldoni/DPPI

Testing at the FIA World Endurance Championship Prologue will be limited to a chosen single day per team, amid the event’s clash with the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring, it has been revealed.

Sportscar365 has learned that the two-day test, scheduled for Sun. March 22 and Mon. March 23 at Lusail International Circuit, has been adjusted in the wake of the overlap with the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship enduro occurring the day prior in Florida.

A significant number of drivers and team personnel are due to travel directly from Sebring to Qatar but are unable to make it for the opening day of the official pre-season test, which is mandatory for all WEC teams.

Instead, it’s understood teams will choose which day to run, instead of being eligible to test for the full duration.

It comes as a welcome development from competitors, particularly those who were severely impacted by the clash.

Four of BMW M Team WRT’s six Hypercar drivers, for instance, will be competing at Sebring, along with all but one of Heart of Racing’s Aston Martin Valkyrie pilots.

More than 25 drivers are understood to be in the same situation.

“Not doing the Prologue, it’s forbidden, and most of our drivers are in Sebring,” WRT team principal Vincent Vosse told Sportscar365.

“Obviously we will do the second day.”

Heart of Racing team principal Ian James added: “It’s unfortunate there’s even any clash but at least we’ll be able to get there to run on Monday. I’m happy with that.”

The date of the Prologue, as well as the season-opening Qatar 1812km on March 28, was established to avoid Ramadan, which ends on the evening of March 20.

This is why the two previous editions of the Qatar season opener, as well as next month’s race, have not been held on the same weekend each year as the Islamic religious holiday is based on a lunar calendar.

Despite the WEC’s change, both Vosse and James admit it could still be a challenge to make the second day of the Prologue.

“I think there is a good commercial flight from Orlando and we arrive in Qatar on the Monday morning,” said Vosse.

“Driver-wise, they’re all on that plane, and some of the team, like me. It’s going to be tight.”

James added: “It’s a bit of a struggle but I think we can get there. It will be very late on Sunday or early Monday morning.

“But it will be tough on everybody. Sebring is tough weekend, a tough race. And it’s not just drivers, it’s the support people, the OEM manufacturer people.

“It’s unfortunate but we’ll figure it out.”

James Hopes WEC, IMSA are “Mindful” to Avoid Future Date Clashes

The Heart of Racing team team principal, meanwhile, is hopeful that IMSA and the WEC can reduce the number of clashes in the future.

In addition to the overlap between Sebring and the Prologue, the two championships again have two conflicting race weekends, in mid-April between Imola and Long Beach, as well as Interlagos and the LMP2 headline round at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park.

“In general, they’re the two premier [sports car] championships in the world and it would be great if there were no clashes,” said James.

“I know circumstances sometimes dictate there are but fingers crossed that, especially if they add another race to WEC, which I don’t know if they will or won’t, but I hope they’re mindful of trying to keep them separate.”

Vosse said he’s in favor of keeping the WEC calendar at eight rounds, amid increased speculation that it could expand to nine with the return of Silverstone in 2027.

“I think we should be careful about overdoing it,” he said “Today, the WEC calendar is very nice. It would be nice to have three, four, five more races.

“But today, let’s consolidate what we have. It’s the best option today.”

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