The FIA World Endurance Championship has become the latest major motorsport series to revise its calendar because of the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, replacing its planned races in Qatar and Bahrain with new rounds in Spain and Italy.
The championship announced on Tuesday that the inaugural 8 Hours of Barcelona would take place at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya on October 18, followed by the 8 Hours of Monza on November 8 as the season finale.
The races replace the postponed Qatar 1812km, originally rescheduled for October 24, and the 8 Hours of Bahrain, which had been due to take place on November 7.
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FIA WEC said the ongoing regional security situation, and its impact on freight and travel arrangements, made it impossible to stage the two Middle Eastern rounds as planned.
The announcement came shortly after Formula One confirmed Malaysia’s Sepang International Circuit would host the Bahrain Grand Prix on October 4 following the cancellation of the original race in Sakhir, ensuring the event remains on the 2026 calendar despite the regional conflict.
Toyota driver Nyck de Vries, who won Formula E’s second Tokyo E-Prix last weekend, also remains in contention for the WEC drivers’ title after four rounds.
