FIA WEC add race in Qatar

FIA World Endurance Championship will add another race to the 2024 race schedule.

The series will go to Qatar for the very first time, having done a 6 year deal with Lusail International Circuit.

The track is known for MotoGP, which it has hosted for many years. Formula 1 had a single start at the track in 2021, and will return to the desert track in 2023, with the track currently undergoing an upgrade.

FIA WEC Qatar
Photo: FIA WEC

The race will be the new opening round of the FIA WEC, and will host the Prologue as well. The race will be 6 hours, and with a circuit being fully floodlit, it is to be expected that some if not all of it will happen after sunset.

The exact date of the venue will be announced at a later stage. The current state of Super Sebring, which was run in 2019 and 2022, and once again in 2023 is unknown. 2020 and 2021 weren’t run for FIA WEC due to the COVID-19 situation.

This will be the second race in the Middle East, with Bahrain International Circuit extending the contract until 2027 earlier this year. The plan is to extend the schedule to 8 races in 2024. Bahrain, Qatar and Spa Francorchamps are all being confirmed with long-term contracts – oh yeah, there is a 24 hours race at Le Mans too. The status of Sebring, Portimao, Monza and Fuji is not yet confirmed, but the series has previously mentioned, that some races might become bi-annual, to be able to run as many different as possible.

The FIA WEC 2023 will start with the Prologue at Sebring International Raceway on 11 March, with the 1000 Miles/8 Hours race being run on Friday 17 March.

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