The ACO has announced that the 2021 running of the Le Mans 24 Hours has been pushed back from its traditional June date to August 21-22, with the hope of being able to run the race with fans trackside.
This will be the first time that the race has been held in August, and comes after the race was moved to September last year (and held behind-closed-doors) because of the pandemic.
In today’s statement the ACO said it has made this decision early in the season “to give competitors, partners and spectators as much visibility as possible and to maintain the current FIA WEC calendar. The dates of the other races and events to be held at the Le Mans Circuit remain unchanged at the present time. The ACO is working closely with the organisers of the various events that could be impacted by this change.”
Pierre Fillon, President of the Automobile Club de l’Ouest said: “Although it was a tough decision to make, it is the right one. Holding the 24 Hours of Le Mans behind closed doors for the second year running would be unthinkable. We are therefore doing all we can to avoid that happening and to give competitors a clear view of the whole season. We are working very hard to put on a safe event, with all the necessary health precautions in place. This year’s race promises to be another thriller as the new Hypercar class makes its debut.”
The new dates means that the Le Mans 24 Hours will now be the fourth round of the FIA WEC season, as it now falls a month after Round 3 at Monza in July. It will also be the final European race of the 2021 season, before the two flyaway races to Japan and Bahrain in September and November respectively.
As it stands the FIA WEC season is still set to begin on April 4th with the 8 Hours of Portimao in Portugal. It will be the global race debut of the new Le Mans Hypercar category.
