WEC opener postponed
The World Endurance Championship has postponed its season opener in Qatar from Mar 26–28 to October, citing security concerns linked to regional instability — organizers moved the round rather than cancel it outright El‑Balad Motorsport.
The Qatar round was rescheduled motorsport.com to 22–24 October, slotting into the calendar as the penultimate event ahead of the season finale in Bahrain. fiawec.com The season will now open at Imola on 17–19 April, with the official FIA WEC Prologue relocated and set for 14 April to give teams a final group test before the race weekend. fiawec.com FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem said the move was taken with safety as the priority and thanked the Qatar Motor & Motorcycle Federation, Lusail and the ACO for “a measured and collaborative approach” to rescheduling. fiawec.com Organisers cited explicit security assessments pointing to threats from Iranian drones and missiles as a central factor in the decision to alter the calendar, according to reporting on the situation. autosport.com The revised official calendar shows Imola occupying the opening slot (17–19 April), Lusail shifted to 22–24 October, and Bahrain appearing on the updated timetable for 7 November. fiawec.com Teams will use the Imola Prologue on 14 April as a two‑session test day — organisers’ bulletins note the schedule includes a 3.5‑hour morning session to help Hypercar and LMGT3 programmes finalise setups. racer.com
