As the FIA World Endurance Championship paddock looks ahead to the second half of the 2026 season, the bulk of its attention has shifted from title battles to the schedule itself, as a final decision looms on the races in the Middle East.
While the current calendar still lists the postponed race in Qatar and the season finale in Bahrain, the ongoing conflict in the region has left the championship’s plans for October and November in need of a second revision. Championship organisers have been working behind the scenes on contingency plans, and DSC believes that Barcelona and Monza lined up as alternative venues should a trip to the Gulf prove impossible. A final announcement is expected around July 24th.
Until that decision is made, the teams have had to plan for both scenarios, as Ferrari AF Corse team manager Batti Pregliasco explained to reporters in Brazil last week.
“We love the two tracks that we should have at the end of the season, which are tracks in which we are competitive, Qatar last year and Bahrain many times,” Pregliasco said.
“So we hope that it will happen, but unfortunately, after the last two days, it will be very difficult. We wait for the organisation to give us information about that, and we are sure we will face the problem when it comes. The other option will be something in Europe. So, we will do what we can. It’s not something in our hands.”
The uncertainty extends beyond simply knowing where the final races will be held. The original calendar featured a 10-hour race in Qatar and an eight-hour event in Bahrain, both of which offer larger points totals than the standard six-hour races elsewhere on the schedule.
Should the championship instead move to Europe, those longer-distance events would almost certainly be replaced by conventional six-hour races.
That scenario could have a direct impact on the championship battles, particularly for teams like Ferrari AF Corse, attempting to recover points in the closing stages of the season.
“Yeah, I wouldn’t say it’s frustrating on our side because in the end, what we need to do is to gain points on our competitors, and starting from now, we’ll try to do our best,” added Ferrari AF Corse head of performance Mauro Barbieri.
“For sure, if the last two races are shorter than what was the original schedule, there will be fewer points available, and so it will be more difficult to eventually close the gap and overtake, let’s say.
“But in the end, we have to react to what will happen, and we need to recover some points in every single race, and then we see if the last two will be in the Middle East and will be longer with more points at stake, or if it will be somewhere else and shorter. So with the standard point system, but I think we’re not frustrated.”
While championship mathematics is one consideration, logistics represent a far larger concern.
Moving the final rounds to Europe solves most of the issues the teams currently face, but it creates others. Weather conditions and daylight hours make running traditional long-distance endurance races difficult late in the year, while alternative flyaway venues would introduce a fresh set of transportation challenges.
“Problem is that if you go to Europe in that period, you cannot (complete the longer endurance races), because it’s very difficult to start in the morning in November in Europe to make a 10-hour or 12-hour race,” Pregliasco explained.
“You face that at 5 o’clock is dark, so it will be very tricky if you have to postpone for the morning, I don’t know, for the forego for some bad weather in the morning, then you stop the race earlier because it becomes a night practice night race.
“So the organiser has his own problem as well. So, and to go to other places like I don’t know, Japan, China, or whatever else can be, then you face the same problem of the logistic transportation, the huge cost, and basically, if you are in Austin, then you have to ship the material by air freight and maybe be blocked somewhere else.”
Ultimately, Pregliasco fully understands that the wider situation outweighs any sporting considerations.
“It’s a geopolitical problem that honestly is more important than what our job is, and well, our decision to be there. So we need to think that safety is a priority for everybody,” he added.
“And to be stuck, we have the risk this winter time, January, February, with all the containers in Bahrain, Qatar, they cannot come back, and you risk losing Qatar, Imola in Spa (next year) and destroying all our jobs, all our efforts and the investment of Ferrari. It’s more important to keep the championship alive than take risks.”
According to Pregliasco, contingency plans involving duplicate freight packages have already been put in place with logistics partner DHL to avoid major disruption, regardless of where the final rounds ultimately take place.
“The deadline (for changing the calendar and responding with logistical changes) is the end of July,” he said.
“But I think every team, together with the organisation and DHL, has already made Plan B with the double kits of material. For example, we send some material from here (Brazil) to Fuji directly, and we keep the second kit that goes to Austin and stands by in case we go to Qatar, Bahrain or to Europe, because it’s the only way by container, by sea freight, to go to both areas safely and without having any blocks on the shipping lines.
“So we have already anticipated some problems. Of course, it’s a cost, it’s an effort, but okay, we already spoke and worked on these two plans to make it happen.
“Normally, this double kit that is here makes more sense to go from Interlagos to Austin. But then the other one that goes to Fuji is a big problem. So it’s too late to decide after another month. It’s impossible.”
If the end of the season does feature visits to Barcelona and Monza, two Hypercar teams are set to benefit from pre-planned tests at those venues.
Ferrari is scheduled to conduct a two-day Hypercar test at Monza on July 28 and 30, while Genesis Magma Racing’s GMR-001s will visit Barcelona on August 27.
“You know the tests are quite limited, and we already have a good plan of testing,” Pregliasco said, when asked about Ferrari’s testing plans and if the conflict in the Middle East will impact its off-season.
“We will test again in July. Of course, we plan to make some tests at the end of the season to prepare for the next season, and this should not be affected because it’s the end of November, start of December, and of course, we would like to start again in 2027 with some tests in the Middle East, like we did last year in Qatar or Bahrain. We planned last year, but then we will have to wait for this situation to be solved.”
Image courtesy of DPPI
