World Endurance Championship announces 2026 schedule
The FIA World Endurance Championship has announced its 2026 schedule, which will be made up of the same venues as in 2025.
Capitalizing on the momentum of 750,000 fans that attended events in these eight rounds, there was little reason to alter the schedule, which will begin with Round 1 in Qatar, March 26 - 28, 2026.
The 2026 calendar comprises five regions: Europe, North America, South America, Asia, and the Middle East.
'We are pleased to present our 2026 FIA WEC calendar, which reflects the series' success by building upon a winning formula and format,' said Frédéric Lequien, CEO, FIA World Endurance Championship in a news release. 'All eight events have established themselves as firm favourites amongst competitors and fans. Every circuit offers its own unique characteristics and challenges – and invariably brings out the best from our incredible drivers, cars and teams. We look forward to continuing to put on a thrilling show all around the world!
The highlight of the schedule will continue to be the 24 Hours of Le Mans, June 10 - 14.
Four six-hour races will be held at Imola (April 17 - 19), Spa-Francorchamps (May 7 - 9), Sao Paulo (July 10 - 12), and Mount Fuji, Japan (September 25 - 27).
The Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, returns to the schedule on September 4 - 6 for the Lone Star Le Mans.
WEC will conclude their season with an eight-hour race in Bahrain, November 5 - 7.
'After a period of expansion, including the addition of an eighth round in 2024, the FIA World Endurance Championship enters a phase of consolidation and stability with next season's calendar,' said Richard Mille, President, FIA Endurance Commission. 'The schedule continues to feature world-class circuits across key regions, striking the right balance between global exposure for manufacturers and the need to keep participation costs at a reasonable level. This stability lays a strong foundation for the continued success of the Hypercar class and supports the sustained growth of the world's premier endurance racing series.'
2026 WEC Schedule
March 26 - 28: Qatar 1812 Kilometers (1,126 miles)
April 17 - 19: 6 Hours of Imola
May 7 - 9: 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps
June 10 - 14: 24 Hours of Le Mans
July 10 - 12: 6 Hours of Sao Paulo
September 4 - 6: Lone Star Le Mans
September 25 - 27: 6 Hours of Fuji
November 5 - 7: 8 Hours of Bahrain
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NBC Sports
2 days ago
- NBC Sports
World Endurance Championship announces 2026 schedule
The FIA World Endurance Championship has announced its 2026 schedule, which will be made up of the same venues as in 2025. Capitalizing on the momentum of 750,000 fans that attended events in these eight rounds, there was little reason to alter the schedule, which will begin with Round 1 in Qatar, March 26 - 28, 2026. The 2026 calendar comprises five regions: Europe, North America, South America, Asia, and the Middle East. 'We are pleased to present our 2026 FIA WEC calendar, which reflects the series' success by building upon a winning formula and format,' said Frédéric Lequien, CEO, FIA World Endurance Championship in a news release. 'All eight events have established themselves as firm favourites amongst competitors and fans. Every circuit offers its own unique characteristics and challenges – and invariably brings out the best from our incredible drivers, cars and teams. We look forward to continuing to put on a thrilling show all around the world! The highlight of the schedule will continue to be the 24 Hours of Le Mans, June 10 - 14. Four six-hour races will be held at Imola (April 17 - 19), Spa-Francorchamps (May 7 - 9), Sao Paulo (July 10 - 12), and Mount Fuji, Japan (September 25 - 27). The Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, returns to the schedule on September 4 - 6 for the Lone Star Le Mans. WEC will conclude their season with an eight-hour race in Bahrain, November 5 - 7. 'After a period of expansion, including the addition of an eighth round in 2024, the FIA World Endurance Championship enters a phase of consolidation and stability with next season's calendar,' said Richard Mille, President, FIA Endurance Commission. 'The schedule continues to feature world-class circuits across key regions, striking the right balance between global exposure for manufacturers and the need to keep participation costs at a reasonable level. This stability lays a strong foundation for the continued success of the Hypercar class and supports the sustained growth of the world's premier endurance racing series.' 2026 WEC Schedule March 26 - 28: Qatar 1812 Kilometers (1,126 miles) April 17 - 19: 6 Hours of Imola May 7 - 9: 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps June 10 - 14: 24 Hours of Le Mans July 10 - 12: 6 Hours of Sao Paulo September 4 - 6: Lone Star Le Mans September 25 - 27: 6 Hours of Fuji November 5 - 7: 8 Hours of Bahrain
Miami Herald
3 days ago
- Miami Herald
Henry Payne: How Cadillac integrates motorsports to compete on the world stage
LE MANS, France - For 15 years, Cadillac has been assembling the pieces to reassert itself as the Standard of the World. A cornerstone of that plan has been to take on its international competition in their backyards, at the track, on the world's biggest stages. From the 24 Hours of Le Mans to Paris to Miami, that vision has bloomed in 2025. As tennis legend Roger Federer waved the French tricolors to start Le Mans Saturday, two gold, Hertz-sponsored, V-8-powered, Cadillac V-Series.R Hypercars led the field of Porsches, Ferraris and BMWs into Turn One before an estimated 332,000 spectators and another 100 million-plus viewers around the globe. Among them were visitors to Cadillac's flagship European showroom in downtown Paris watching the race on video screens surrounded by the brand's sleek, electric Lyriq-V. More tuned in from their phones like the millions who watched Cadillac's official May launch of its Formula One team at the Miami Grand Prix. "We haven't sold cars here in a long time," said General Motors Co. President Mark Reuss in Cadillac's Le Mans paddock suite Sunday while 62 of the world's premier race cars - including four V-8-powered - thundered by. "What Cadillac stands for is important, so here in a race like this - or wherever we race - it's about technology, it's about our best, it's about bringing it into our portfolio of cars." Win on Sunday, sell on Monday. It's a hallmark of Le Mans where brands from Ferrari to Porsche to Ford have translated track success to global sales. Reuss and his team are determined that Cadillac join that list. He says it requires commitment that GM has lacked in the past. "Cadillac is on a real roll here by plan," said Reuss, the architect of Caddy's journey. "We've invested a lot of money over a fairly long period, which the company hasn't done in a long, long time. So, I think that is starting to pay off. We're not nearly done. You can see the results in the brand, what people think of the brand, and the sales." Reuss has followed in the footsteps of his father, Lloyd Reuss, GM president from 1990-92. Like Henry Ford II, who captained Ford's Le Mans victories over Ferrari in the 1960s, his passion is a primal force inside GM. The Le Mans start was a poster moment, an image that will live on garage walls like Ford's three GT40s crossing the line 1-2-3 in 1966 or twin, yellow Chevy Corvettes crossing the stripe in a near dead heat for the 2016 24 Hours of Daytona. And that's before Cadillac enters Formula One next year with its estimated 750-million fan base. "I never imagined that a video of a brand reveal in Miami would get 10 million (viewers) the next day," marveled Reuss. "It's just extraordinary. "Whatever we thought, it was actually much bigger than that." This year's race had a distinctive Motown sound as GT3-class Mustangs, Corvettes and Cadillac V-8 Hypercars pounded around the 8.5-mile circuit. But no Detroit badge is more aggressive at using motorsports to push its brand into Europe than Caddy. Indeed, Ferrari is the only other manufacturer (not Mercedes, Porsche or BMW) that has committed itself to entries in both F1 and Le Mans Hypercar - the summit of motorsports. "If you don't compete at the top tier, then you're never going to be seen," said Reuss. International racing's emphasis on manufacturer technology is important to Cadillac. Formula One is the cutting edge of automotive technology with pneumatic valves, hybrid power units (F1-speak for powertrain) and synthetic fuels. So too, its world sportscar cousin in France boasts similar technologies and speeds. On the jumbotron screen here at Le Mans, the leaderboard displays - not drivers like the Indianapolis 500 (which hosted 350,000 fans this year) - but car brands. "These Hypercars are not simple," said Reuss of the 800-volt, hybrid-electric, 690-horse V-8 thoroughbreds thundering around the track behind him. 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"We will continue to build up Cadillac both from an electric propulsion standpoint but also from an internal combustion engine standpoint," said Reuss. "We are not going away with our ICE engines here (in Europe) either. (The V-Series.R) happens to be a hybrid." Still, despite market pushback, the European Union has doubled down on forcing the end of new ICE vehicle sales by 2035. Cities like Paris have drafted plans (currently on hold due to consumer resistance) that restrict the use of ICEs by establishing zero-emission zones. "Things will change, and so we'll be ready from a regulatory standpoint," said Reuss. "But at end of the day, driving a really good vehicle - however it is propelled - is really important for us. It gets down to product every time." F1 has also received manufacturer pushback on its 50-50 hybrid powertrain plan for 2028, the first year Cadillac will bring its own, in-house-developed power unit to the stage (Ferrari will provide power for the 2026 season). Batteries are expensive and synfuels are in the conversation as an alternative that would not only power F1 cars - but also ICE production vehicles. It's another technical challenge that Reuss sees playing to GM's strength in innovation. "We are a works team," he said emphasizing that Cadillac, like Ferrari and Mercedes, will develop its own F1 car. "Not a chassis team, not an engine team - a works team, and that separates us. First time ever there has been an American works team." "Cadillac is named after a small town in southwest Fance," said Cadillac France Sales Chief Chahine Bouaiache on the Paris show floor, where a V-Series.R Hypercar greeted showroom visitors during Le Mans Week. "We are selling our cars to Parisians who love the design of the car. The (Lyriq) designer was a French woman" (Magalie Debellis, former manager of Cadillac Advanced Design). 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3 days ago
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The latest car news, reviews, and features. Even before stepping in, it's easy to see that the Porsche Penske Motorsport garage at the 2025 24 Hours of Le Mans has an ant farm-like vibe. People walking at a determined pace are coming and going, Porsche-branded ATVs towing trailers with racing tires stacked high honk their way through the crowd, all while fans decked out in Porsche Motorsport attire bake in the sun like statues, hoping to catch a glimpse of their favorite racing driver. And for good reason, Roger Penske employs some of the best in the business. A security guard supervises the entrance to the garage throughout the entire weekend, and authorized visitors must check in by signing a digital waiver in exchange for a plastic badge before entering for the first time. Once inside, what you see largely depends on where you go and what's happening on the track. The atmosphere ranges from cramped to open, from frenzied to calm, and from dark to well-lit. There's no music or anything resembling entertainment: It's all racing, all the time. Racing is a business, especially for this global organization, which competes in the world's biggest racing series like NASCAR, IndyCar, IMSA, and of course, WEC. Ronan Glon The Porsche complex is much bigger than you might assume, too; it's like a small town in there. The room that's closest to the entrance is where Porsche stores three spare battery packs for its 963 Hypercars (one per car). It's roped off, only people who have a special accreditation are allowed to go near the high-voltage packs, and everyone on the team hopes that the batteries will stay in that room for the entire race. Replacing one takes about 45 minutes, making it one of the more labor-intensive operations that you can perform in the pits. 'The mindset of this race is that you don't give up,' Timo Bernhard, who drove a Porsche 919 Hybrid to victory in 2017 with Brendon Hartley and Earl Bamber, tells me. 'It's not a short race; It's not an F1 race. If you have a problem, you're not out of the race immediately.' He's speaking from experience. In 2017, his car made an unexpected pit stop due to a problem with the front axle's electric motor. Replacing the part took a little over an hour, and the 919 returned to the track in 54th place, 19 laps behind the leader, with over half of the race remaining. Earning a spot on the podium (let alone the top spot) must have looked impossible, yet that exact car went on to win the race. Ronan Glon I lost track of how many people walked in and out of the Porsche compound in the time that it took for Bernhard to explain why it's worth hauling around three spare battery packs. He then led me into the next room, which he jokingly described as 'a Porsche supermarket.' It's where the team stores many of the smaller parts that can fail during a day-long race, such as oil lines and coolant hoses, as well as any liquid that a repair could require, including engine oil and brake cleaner. Porsche keeps three spare transaxles in a separate room, and something immediately caught my eye as I walked in. There's a big, silver-colored ring around each axle. Did the thing just get married? Nope, not quite. It's a sensor that lets FIA officials measure the car's power output in real time to ensure no one cheats. It's mandatory on every car, of course, and if it fails, it needs to be replaced immediately. Ronan Glon Tires are closely monitored as well. In the Hypercar category, each car is allowed 14 sets of slick tires per race (rain tires are unlimited). Every tire is tracked via a QR code, so Porsche and FIA officials can quickly access parameters like its mileage and other variables. 'It's a huge part of the organization,' Bernhard points out. Interestingly, Porsche doesn't own the tires that the 963 races with; it pretty much leases them from Michelin. During the race, a dedicated Michelin engineer examines every single tire before they're mounted on the car, and then re-examines them once they're taken off after a stint. The engineer measures wear and tear and marks anything alarming or unusual with chalk; they then label the tire and take pictures for documentation purposes. It's not just Porsche: There's a Michelin engineer in every garage at Le Mans. The one working for Porsche doesn't exchange intel with the one working for BMW, obviously, but at the end of the race, the used tires all go back to Michelin's headquarters in Clermont-Ferrand, France. Ronan Glon The tires take up a tremendous amount of space in the pits. On the other hand, brake parts from AP Racing are few and far between. The 963 uses giant carbon-ceramic rotors designed to last for the full race, which is wild to think about when you consider the heat that they're subjected to. The 963 is a hybrid, so the brake energy recuperation system extends the rotors' life. The pads are changed once per race. The Porsche complex is massive, and there are multiple levels to it. Upstairs, there's a place for mechanics and the management team to relax, and an office where at least a dozen people have their eyeballs glued to computer screens. I don't think they even noticed I was there; that's how important their job is, and how seriously they take it. They're tracking live data sent by each car and looking for any irregularity, however small it may be. It's always the tiniest details that can indicate that a potentially serious problem is brewing. If needed, there's a second team of engineers located in Weissach, Germany, where Porsche develops all of its race cars, that's a phone call away. Ronan Glon Like most things nowadays, Le Mans is largely run by computers, but there's one task that hasn't been digitalized. Keeping the cars running in tip-top shape takes arduous, physical labor. Each 963 has its own pit crew tasked with servicing it during the entire race—a big job considering anywhere from 30 to 40 pit stops are performed if everything goes according to plan. We've talked before about the art of the Le Mans pit stop, and how it's something that needs to be seen up close to be believed. The crews can rest in their downtime, but they're never far from the pits and always ready to jump into action in case something goes wrong. But what about the drivers? Porsche Penske Motorsport entered three cars in Le Mans this year, the No. 4, 5, and 6, so that's a total of nine drivers, plus the reserve drivers. When they're not in the car, they're out and about. Some watch the race on the numerous televisions scattered throughout the pits, while others walk to what Porsche refers to as Container City. It looks like those temporary structures you often see on construction sites, and it's a few feet away from the pits, so the drivers can try to disconnect for a while while staying close to the heart of the action. Inside, the drivers can change, get a massage, see a doctor, and relax in a private space. Odds are you won't find them sleeping, though. 'You can never relax; I can tell you from my own experience,' Bernhard told me. 'This is the hardest part, to get a little bit of rest, because when you share a car with other drivers, you never really relax. You're always looking at where your car is and what's happening. You can never really disconnect from the race. You're lying in your bed, but you cannot sleep.' Ronan Glon Each driver's mileage throughout the race varies, literally and metaphorically. Most driver stints range from right under an hour to up to two hours. Regardless of how each team breaks shifts up, per the rules, a driver cannot race longer than four hours in six hours. Bernhard tells me that, when he raced at Le Mans, the massage room was 'almost like a wellness weekend.' For him, it was a more effective way to soothe his mind and body. Racing for such a long time, on little to no sleep, requires a great deal of concentration. You're in a cramped cockpit enduring a wide selection of vibrations, bumps, G-forces, and heat. 'It's a better way to relax your mind than trying to sleep,' he sums up. Food and drinks are at their disposal in the pits, in Container City, and in a hospitality area about 100 yards from the garage. You're at the wrong track if you're imagining that the pilots are treated like royalty, with private chefs catering to them throughout the race. They eat from the same buffet as journalists, PR staff, and execs, though I noticed a bowl of chopped avocado labeled 'Drivers Only.' Ronan Glon The logistics of racing at Le Mans are mind-blowing. The entire setup, including Container City, takes about three weeks to set up. There are over 100 people on location to support the Porsche team, and I can't even imagine what it costs to run the show. And yet, in the end, it's all worth it, even if you don't win. 'It's like our Olympic Games. You prioritize this weekend,' Bernhard said. Got a tip? Email us at tips@
