Breaking news
WEC
WEC would be "arrogant" to predict full '21 calendar
A reduced FIA World Endurance Championship calendar with fewer races next year has not been ruled out by series boss Gerard Neveu.
Gary Watkins
Edited: Apr 6, 2020, 12:41 PM
Copy link
Share on Viber
Neveu said that it was too early to talk in detail about the schedule for the new season, which looks certain to begin next March after the abandonment of the winter calendar format.
He pointed out that there is no way of predicting the economic climate motorsport will face when the world emerges from the coronavirus crisis and that events may require the WEC to be downscaled from the current eight rounds.
"If I tell you that next year we will have eight races starting in March and finishing in November, I would be crazy and arrogant," he said. "It could be less races: there are many options and everything is possible.
"We have to make an observation on the economic situation in a few months: what is the position of the teams, manufacturers, gentlemen drivers and what is the position of the partners, sponsors?"
Read Also:
- WEC shelves winter calendar format for 2021
- Le Mans 24 Hours postponed until September due to coronavirus
Neveu stated that it is the WEC's intent to start the 2021 season with the Sebring 1000 Miles next March alongside the Florida venue's 12-hour round of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.
The only certainty at the moment, he said, is that the Le Mans 24 Hours will take its traditional mid-June slot.
"It should be that we will be in Super Sebring," he said. "The only thing I am quite sure right now is to put Le Mans and Super Sebring on the calendar."
Asked if the WEC would return to Silverstone, which had been due to host the opening round of the 2020/21 season this September, Neveu replied. "I have no idea."
He also said it was too early to talk about Kyalami, which was on the 2020/21 calendar with a February slot, though he indicated that the WEC would be maintaining a dialogue with the South African venue.
But Neveu stressed that the WEC would continue to travel around the globe next season.
"The fact is that it's a world championship, so it will not be a European championship — we will travel a little bit for sure," he explained.
FIA rules state that world championships must visit a minimum of three continents and the sporting rules for the current WEC season demand that a minimum of six races including Le Mans take place.
Neveu hinted that the WEC could be heading for what he described as a "reset".
"We will have to rethink and rebuild something after the crisis," he said, adding that the series could undergo "a small evolution" and that "everything has to be on the table".
The WEC has ripped up its 2020/21 calendar, due to be the second run to the winter-series format, after rejigging the end of the current campaign as a result of the world situation.
The Spa round postponed from this month has been given a revised date of August 15, while a new race at Bahrain, its second fixture of the current WEC campaign, will close the season on November 21, effectively replacing last month's abandoned Sebring round.
They will sandwich the new date for Le Mans on September 19/20.
We want your opinion!
What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?
Take our 5 minute survey.
- The Motorsport.com Team
Read and post comments
Read also :
Share Or Save This Story
Copy link
Share on Viber
Previous article What does an operation like Porsche do during lockdown?
Next article WEC explains thinking behind ‘simpler’ calendar format
Top Comments
There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?
View More & Comment
More from
Gary Watkins
Ford steps up WEC preparations with second test car
WEC
WEC
Ford steps up WEC preparations with second test car
Latest news
William Byron to run Jeff Gordon throwback Axalta scheme at Phoenix
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup
Charlotte II
13 min
William Byron to run Jeff Gordon throwback Axalta scheme at Phoenix
Alexander Rossi takes over IR-28 testing as IndyCar pushes new chassis to the limit at Sebring
IndyCar
Indy IndyCar 29 min
Alexander Rossi takes over IR-28 testing as IndyCar pushes new chassis to the limit at Sebring
Daniel Suarez will return to Spire Motorsports for 2027 NASCAR Cup season
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup
Charlotte II
34 min
Daniel Suarez will return to Spire Motorsports for 2027 NASCAR Cup season
Spy shots of 2027 NASCAR Ford Mustang testing at Charlotte, but what's different?
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup
Charlotte II
3 h
Spy shots of 2027 NASCAR Ford Mustang testing at Charlotte, but what's different?
Feature
Discover prime content
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.
Subscribe now Already subscribed? Sign in here
Already disabled your adblocker?
Reload page
Manage Alerts
Subscribe