The FIA announced Tuesday (March 3) that the Qatar 1812km, the season opener for the FIA World Endurance Championship scheduled for March 28, has been postponed indefinitely. The action comes as a result of the ongoing attacks on Iran and Iran’s retaliatory attacks against Israel and other Gulf countries.
“The safety and wellbeing of our community will always be the FIA’s first priority, and I thank our Member Club the Qatar Motor & Motorcycle Federation, Lusail International Circuit, the ACO and our championship colleagues for the measured and collaborative approach that has led to this decision,” FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem said in a statement. “As the opening event of the FIA World Endurance Championship, the Qatar 1812km holds a special place for many fans, drivers and teams alike, and we will work closely with all involved to reschedule the race for later in the 2026 season.”
The cancellation comes as a result of the United States-led attacks on Iran that started Saturday with the killing with Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Since then, the U.S. and Israel have continued attacks, while Iran has retaliated against U.S. interests in the region, Israel, and a number of other countries in the region that are allies of the U.S. (Qatar, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Kuwait).
As a result, the 2026 FIA WEC season will now begin with the 6 Hours of Imola at the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari on April 19. This was originally the second race of the season.
In addition, the WEC Prologue, scheduled for March 22-23 in Qatar, has also been called off. Unlike the Qatar 1812km, there has been no mention of whether that will be moved anywhere or made up at all.
No replacement date has been named for the Qatar 1812km. WEC CEO Frederic Lequien did indicate that the race will be rescheduled for somewhere in the second half of 2026. However, that would be dependent on the situation in the Middle East improving.
Phil Allaway has three primary roles at Frontstretch. He's the manager of the Frontstretch email newsletter that publishes Monday-Friday and occasionally on weekends. He keeps TV broadcasters honest with weekly editions of Couch Potato Tuesday and serves as the Frontstretch Sports Car racing editor.
Outside of Frontstretch, Phil is the press officer for Lebanon Valley Speedway in West Lebanon, N.Y. He covers all the action on the high-banked dirt track from regular DIRTcar Modified racing to occasional visits from touring series such as the Super DIRTcar Series.