The World Endurance Championship has moved its Qatar and Bahrain rounds to Barcelona on Oct. 18 and Monza on Nov. 8, citing safety concerns amid the ongoing Middle East conflict.
Schedule change and points impact
Both European events will run as six‑hour races, using the regular points scale rather than the 1.5‑times multiplier planned for the longer Qatar and Bahrain races. The adjustment reduces the points available in the final two rounds of the season.
Toyota currently leads the manufacturers’ championship by five points over BMW, with four races left including the Lone Star Le Mans at the Circuit of the Americas on Sep. 6. Ferrari sits third, 44 points behind the Japanese marque.
Team logistics and championship implications
Ferrari has publicly noted the difficulty of moving equipment to and from the Gulf states, which have faced missile strikes from Iran as part of the broader war. The switch to regular points could further limit the Italian team’s ability to close the gap in the manufacturers’ title race.
In the drivers’ standings, BMW’s Robin Frijns and René Rast share the lead with the Japanese brand’s Kamui Kobayashi, while Mike Conway and Nyck de Vries remain in contention.
The top six pairings sit within a 25‑point window, making the reduced points less likely to reshape the leaders.
Monza will host the race.
Barcelona will host a WEC race for the first time, while Monza returns after hosting events from 2021‑2023 under the current championship format. The series originally opened at Imola after the March Qatar round was postponed following the war’s outbreak on Feb. 28. Bahrain had been slated as the season finale.
Pierre Fillon, president of the Automobile Club de l’Ouest, said the organization remains committed to returning to the Middle East for the 2027 calendar, where Qatar and Bahrain are listed among nine races.
The ACO has built strong and lasting relationships with governments, motorsport federations, promoters, and partners across the Middle East, Fillon added, expressing gratitude to colleagues in Qatar and Bahrain for their efforts to preserve the events.
The decision to relocate the races also shows the logistical shift required for teams that had already begun preparing for the original Gulf venues. Transporting cars, spare parts, and hospitality infrastructure across continents on short notice demands a coordinated effort between freight providers, local authorities, and the circuits themselves. In particular, the move to Barcelona introduces a new set of technical challenges, as the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya features a blend of high‑speed straights and tight corner complexes that differ markedly from the desert‑lined layouts of Doha and Sakhir.
Monza, a historic venue that has hosted endurance competition for decades, will see its familiar banking and long straights again this season. The track’s characteristic slipstream effect often plays a decisive role in six‑hour events, influencing pit‑stop strategies and driver stints. Teams familiar with the Italian circuit will benefit from recent data, whereas those less accustomed may need to accelerate their simulation work to remain competitive.
Beyond the on‑track considerations, the schedule alteration has ripple effects on the championship’s narrative arc. The season now concludes with two European events, creating a compact finale that emphasizes consistency over outright speed. As the points allocation returns to the standard scale, any driver or manufacturer hoping to mount a late‑season surge must rely on the modest gains offered by each race rather than the larger boosts originally attached to the longer Middle Eastern rounds.
Stakeholders have also highlighted the broader diplomatic dimension of the change. The ACO’s expressed intention to re‑engage with Qatar and Bahrain in 2027 signals a long‑term commitment to the region, despite the current necessity to protect personnel and assets. Maintaining those relationships ensures that the championship can once again feature the Gulf’s unique cultural backdrop and fan base when stability returns.