An expanded nine-round 2027 FIA World Endurance Championship calendar has been revealed today at the ACO’s annual press conference ahead of the Le Mans 24 Hours.
The major headline is the addition of Silverstone Circuit to the European leg of the season on 25 April 2027, bringing the schedule back to nine races for the first time since 2017.
The UK circuit, which hosts the Formula 1 and MotoGP British Grands Prix, has been tipped as a potential addition for multiple seasons since the Hypercar era picked up steam, and now finds itself back on the WEC calendar two years after the ACO’s European Le Mans Series returned to the venue in 2025. Previously, Silverstone hosted WEC races each year from 2012 to 2019.
Stuart Pringle, Silverstone CEO said: “We are very excited. This championship is on fire at the moment. Everyone is talking about it. It’s been a long time since we had endurance racing at Silverstone. We are delighted to have it back. A lot has changed since then. The scale doesn’t get any bigger than the World Endurance Championship. The time is right. The BRDC’s oldest friends are the ACO. During this contract that relationship will be 100 years old.”
Beyond that, the other eight venues remain the same from 2026. The schedule is book-ended by races in the Middle East with Qatar opening the season in March (the weekend after the Twelve Hours of Sebring) and Bahrain hosting the finale once again.
Between the two are European races at Imola, Silverstone, Spa and Le Mans, before the flyaways begin in July with a visit to Interlagos, ahead of the regular stops at Circuit of the Americas in the United States and Fuji Speedway in Japan in September.
In terms of clashes/schedule conflicts with the announced 2027 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship schedule, the Le Mans Test Day is set to be held the day after the Detroit Grand Prix, and the 6 Hours of São Paulo clashes again with the IMSA race at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park (formerly Mosport).
No update was shared on the status of the final portion of the 2026 calendar at the conference today. It has question marks hanging over it due to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East which may prevent the postponed Qatar race and the Bahrain finale from going ahead as planned. A final decision is expected to be taken next month.
“The current situation is severe. We have reacted as much as possible. We have been working hand in hand with our partners. We want to remain optimistic.” said LMEM General Manager Frederic Lequien. “We will make a decision over the summer break on whether we will race in the Middle East or replace them with races likely in Europe. We will host eight races.”
Today’s announcement did reveal that the agreement between the WEC and Bahrain International Circuit has been extended through 2036, securing the venue as a long-term fixture.
There was also no reveal of the Asian Le Mans Series 2026/27 calendar, which is also at risk of being heavily impacted if racing in the United Arab Emirates is still not possible by the end of the year.
As it pertains to the Asian Le Mans Series’ upcoming Hypercar category, driver line-up regulations have been presented, requiring teams in the class to enter at least one Bronze driver, a second driver graded no higher than Silver, and one Gold or Platinum-graded progressional driver.
2027 FIA WEC Calendar (as of 12 June 2026)
- 0. WEC Prologue (Qatar) – 21-22 March
- 1. Qatar 1812KM – 27 March
- 2. 6 Hours of Imola – 11 April
- 3. 6 Hours of Silverstone – 25 April
- 4. 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps – 15 May
- 5. 24 Hours of Le Mans – 12-13 June
- 6. 6 Hours of São Paulo – 11 July
- 7. Lone Star Le Mans – 12 September
- 8. 6 Hours of Fuji – 26 September
- 9. 8 Hours of Bahrain – 6 November
Feature image © dailysportscar.com
