Report: FIA Has Backup Plans In Europe If Qatar, Bahrain Races Cancelled

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The day prior to last weekend's 94th running of Le Mans, the FIA, ACO and numerous racing partners were present for the annual press conference to set the stage for next year and beyond in the World Endurance Championship.

Plenty was announced - highlighted by the official addition of Silverstone to the 2027 calendar as well as the Next Gen Hypercar regulation rules beginning in 2030 - yet one big question still remains regarding this current season in 2026, and that is what will come of the Qatar 1812km and the 8 Hours of Bahrain in the fall.

The opening round in Qatar was pushed back to October 24 due to the conflict in the Middle East that broke out in late February. While the United States and Iran have recently agreed to a new peace plan that appears to have ended immediate military action, John Dagys of SportsCar365.com reports that if the decision is ultimately made to bypass Qatar and Bahrain due to safety concerns, Circuit de Barcelona in Spain and Monza in Italy have emerged as the two most-discussed replacement venues.

Dagys added that the FIA and ACO have a deadline of mid-July before making the final call on relocating both races if conditions are still rocky in the Middle East region.

Fans will undoubtably be split on the potential alternatives to the schedule as Qatar and Bahrain aren't exactly the most popular tracks on the WEC calendar. At the same time, we'd be interested to see how fans react to the possibility that Monza could host a WEC race, especially after what we just saw in GT World Challenge Europe a few weeks ago (imagine 18 Hypercars diving down into Turn 1???)

What do you guys think - would you be OK with the FIA swapping out Qatar and Bahrain for Barcelona and Monza?


(photo via press.bmwgroup.com)


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