WEC Anticipating Eight-Round Calendar for 2024

The FIA World Endurance Championship is planning to further increase its schedule to eight rounds in 2024, as part of its continued rebound from the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to WEC CEO Frederic Lequien, the championship has “different options on the table” for the location of an additional round during the season after next.

The WEC planned for eight events in 2020-21, but the onset of the pandemic prompted a consolidation to six races and the return to a single calendar year format for 2021.

It has remained like that for another season this year, however the WEC will increase to seven races in 2023 with the addition of a six-hour contest at Portimao in mid-April.

“We strongly believe that six events is not enough for a world championship,” Lequien told Sportscar365. “But we know why we had six: it was directly linked to the COVID situation.

“We need to grow, but in a reasonable way. We believe that adding one event in 2023 is good, and the plan at the moment is to have eight races in 2024.

“I also believe it is very important to have one more race before Le Mans [next season]. That’s why we put Portimao in the calendar.

“In 2024 we have good interest and opportunities for the future. Definitely, we will have eight events in 2024.”

Asked if the planned eighth round for the WEC’s 12th season would take place outside of Europe, Lequien replied: “We will see. We have not taken any decisions.

“We have different options on the table; one of them is outside of Europe and the other is inside Europe.”

The inclusion of Portimao on next season’s calendar brings the number of European circuits up to four, with the Portuguese venue joining Spa, Monza and Le Mans.

North America and Asia will serve the remaining three overseas rounds, with Sebring hosting the season-opener in March and Fuji and Bahrain rounding out the campaign.

Indianapolis Motor Speedway owner Roger Penske has previously expressed interest in hosting the WEC for an additional U.S. round. The series has in the past been to Brazil, Mexico and China, and was due to visit Kyalami in 2021 before the calendar was altered.

Lequien explained that the influx of new manufacturers into the WEC’s Hypercar class forms one part of the evaluation process for deciding on where to add new events.

“The car manufacturers have some different targets in terms of countries and marketing,” he said.

“One thing is a question of balance: we have to pay attention to the standards of the tracks. There are so many different parameters.

“One of them is about Hypercar and the manufacturers. But not only that. [There is also] logistics, budgets, the interest of the tracks.

“Some countries now absolutely want to have the WEC. They have Formula 1, and they want to have WEC. This is something new and we have to manage that.”

Lequien indicated that there is a limit to the WEC’s schedule growth in the coming years.”

“The problem is that of course we’ll grow, but eight or nine could be a maximum,” he said. “We would need 15 or 20 races, but we are not Formula 1.

“We need to make some choices, and in order to make those choices we need to take so many parameters into account.”

“Not Possible” to Avoid IMSA GTP Clashes

According to Lequien, it was “not possible” for the WEC and the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship to avoid two date clashes next year.

The 6 Hours of Portimao falls on the same date as the Grand Prix of Long Beach, while the 6 Hours of Monza overlaps with IMSA’s trip to Canadian Tire Motorsport Park.

Those scheduling conflicts are significant because both WeatherTech Championship races will feature the GTP class, which will have the same LMDh cars that are also joining the WEC Hypercar grid.

Some drivers including Tom Blomqvist and Filipe Albuquerque are set to be affected, as well as the Chip Ganassi Racing team which runs a Cadillac V-LMDh in both series.

“The WEC calendar is mainly done around Le Mans,” Lequien explained.

“We have to pay attention to the Formula 1 calendar, which is growing. We have to manage the availability of the circuits. And we have to manage the calendar of Formula E because we have some drivers who race in both.

“And then, we have to manage also some important events which we organize with the ACO [such as] the ELMS.

“And our partners have many races and, unfortunately this season, it was not possible to avoid those two clashes.

“Don’t get me wrong, the time we spent with them to try and find some positive solutions. But at the end, if the track is not available, the track is not available.”

Lequien added that the impact of logistics on weekend availability played an important role in the clashes.

Portimao is due to take place only four weeks after Sebring, leaving a narrow transportation period, while Monza is at the limit of the window for shipping cars and equipment to Fuji on time.

“I know we have a clash there, but I don’t have another possibility to place Monza in the calendar,” said Lequien.

“Unfortunately, this season we have two clashes. I’m not saying that we are good, but we did a lot of effort to manage the situation with the final of the ELMS and Petit Le Mans.

“We succeeded there, which is very important.”