Every circuit to have hosted a WEC round since 2012

Since its launch in 2012, the World Endurance Championship has visited a wide variety of tracks around the world, racing across Europe, Asia and the Americas. Some events like Spa have become permanent fixtures on the calendar, while others disappeared quickly without leaving a mark.

At its peak, the WEC hosted as many as 10 rounds in a season before shrinking to just six during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In the last few years, the schedule stabilised to eight races, but the return of Silverstone in 2027 will expand the calendar back to nine events.

Here is a list of all the tracks that have hosted the WEC:

Le Mans

The WEC has been built around the Le Mans 24 Hours and the French endurance classic remains bigger than the championship itself even after 14 seasons.

Unsurprisingly, Le Mans has featured in every single WEC campaign. Even during the pandemic in 2020, the FIA and the ACO were able to stage a race at the Circuit de la Sarthe, albeit behind closed doors.

Le Mans also serves as the centrepiece of each season, with the opening rounds effectively building towards the biggest event in endurance racing. The only exception came in 2018/19, when the WEC also adopted a unique ‘superseason’ format encompassing two editions of Le Mans, with La Sarthe also hosting the title-deciding round.

Spa-Francorchamps

#10 Garage 59 McLaren 720s GT3 EVO: Antares Au, Thomas Fleming, Marvin Kirchhofer

Photo by: James Moy Photography via Getty Images

Apart from La Sarthe, Spa-Francorchamps is the only track that has been ever-present in the WEC since the series’ inception in 2012. Already an established venue during the World Sportscar Championship era, the Belgian circuit was an obvious choice when the FIA and ACO launched the new series in 2012.

Spa has also consistently attracted the largest crowd of any WEC round outside of Le Mans, while its sweeping 7km layout has produced some of the championship’s most exciting races.

Usually held in May, the Spa 6 Hours naturally serves as the curtain-raiser for Le Mans.

Fuji Speedway

Start action

Photo by: James Moy Photography via Getty Images

While Suzuka is Japan’s spiritual home of Formula 1, Fuji has long been synonymous with sportscar racing. What was originally the Fuji 1000km was turned into a six-hour contest when the WEC was launched in 2012.

Apart from the COVID-affected years, Fuji has been an annual fixture on the WEC calendar, becoming an important hub for the championship in Asia. Toyota’s presence in LMP1/Hypercar also makes the Fuji weekend an important stop on the calendar.

Unsurprisingly, Toyota is the most successful manufacturer at a track it owns, although the last two WEC races in Japan were won by Porsche and Alpine respectively.

Bahrain

#5 Porsche Penske Motorsport Porsche 963: Julien Andlauer, Mathieu Jaminet, Laurin Heinrich

Photo by: AG Photo – Daniele Paglino

All major championships have established a foothold in the Middle East, and the WEC is no different. Initially run over six hours like other regular WEC rounds, the event was extended to eight hours in 2019, with more points consequently being awarded to the winner.

In recent years, Bahrain has become the venue for the season finale, with the bonus-points system keeping more teams in the title fight come the final round.

Save for 2018, Bahrain has hosted a WEC round every single year. In fact, during 2021, Bahrain hosted back-to-back events in response to the pandemic: a six-hour fixture followed by an eight-hour race.

However, the race was removed from the 2026 calendar due to the conflict in the region. It is due to return in 2027, subject to the prevailing situation in Iran.

Sebring

#48 Hertz Team Jota Oreca 07 – Gibson: David Beckmann, Yifei Ye, William Stevens

Photo by: JEP / Motorsport Images

The first-ever WEC race took place at Sebring, as part of a combined 12-hour event held in conjunction with what was then the American Le Mans Series. When Sebring returned in 2019, the WEC instead staged a standalone 1000-mile race on Friday before IMSA’s 12 Hours took centre stage the following day.

The joint WEC/IMSA weekends proved hugely popular, introducing the WEC to IMSA’s more established fanbase in Florida. Sebring also served as the season opener in 2022 and ‘23, helping set the tone for the rest of the year.

However, after hosting a total of four WEC rounds in the span of over a decade, Sebring was struck from the calendar in 2024.

Austin

#21 Vista AF Corse Ferrari 296 LMGT3: Francois Heriau, Simon Mann, Alessio Rovera

Photo by: James Moy Photography via Getty Images

For the most part, Austin has been the WEC’s primary home in the US. The championship first visited the Circuit of the Americas in 2013, and the Lone Star Le Mans remained an annual fixture until 2017. The race was revived in February 2020, before being dropped again in the wake of the pandemic.

But Austin now appears to have its future secure, having replaced Sebring on the calendar in 2024 and re-established its presence since then.

Porsche has been the most successful manufacturer at Austin across the LMP1 and Hypercar eras, while Cadillac has yet to score a podium on home turf.

Silverstone

The start of the 6 hours of Silverstone

Photo by: JEP / Motorsport Images

Silverstone was a cornerstone of the WEC calendar between 2012 and 2019. At one stage, the British venue hosted both the European Le Mans Series and the WEC on the same weekend, underlining its importance to endurance racing. It seemed that Silverstone, which has a long history of hosting world championship-level sportscar racing, would be an indefinite part of the WEC.

With its rich sportscar heritage dating back to the World Sportscar Championship era, Silverstone appeared destined to remain a permanent fixture. However, the COVID pandemic disrupted the calendar, forcing WEC to reduce the number of races and revert to the annual calendar format.

Rumours of Silverstone returning continued to circulate for many years, before the WEC finally announced that the championship will be heading back to the UK in 2027.

Shanghai

#38 JOTA Oreca 07: Roberto Gonzalez, Antonio Felix da Costa, Anthony Davidson

Photo by: JEP / Motorsport Images

Shanghai was another race that had been part of the WEC since its rebirth, as the series focused on the Chinese market from the get-go.

The first seven races in China’s financial hub all ran to six hours, before the final 2019 event was shortened to four hours.

Shanghai fell off the WEC calendar at the same time as Silverstone, but its departure had nothing to do with the pandemic. In fact, the circuit was already dropped from the calendar for what was supposed to be the 2020/21 season.

Although Formula 1 and Formula E have both returned to China, a WEC comeback appears unlikely in the short term.

Imola

#51 Ferrari AF Corse Ferrari 499P: Alessandro Pier Guidi, James Calado, Antonio Giovinazzi

Photo by: FIA WEC / DPPI

Imola took over as the host of the WEC’s Italian round in 2024, as Monza was unable to host a race in April that year while renovation work was carried out. While this was supposed to be a one-off arrangement, Imola has now become a permanent fixture on the calendar.

Toyota won at Imola in both 2024 and ‘26, but Ferrari scored a home win last year en route to winning the manufacturers’ championship.

This year, Imola ended up hosting the opening round of the season, as the Qatar round originally scheduled for March had to be pushed back until later in the year and eventually cancelled due to the Iran war.

Sao Paulo

#69 Team WRT BMW M4 LMGT3 EVO: Anthony McIntosh, Parker Thompson, Daniel Harper

Photo by: JEP

Sao Paulo was one of eight tracks that were a part of the inaugural WEC season in 2012. Having a race in South America also helped establish the series’ position as a burgeoning world championship.

The Interlagos track remained a part of the WEC until 2014, before it was struck off the calendar. Multiple attempts were made to revive the Brazilian event, but it was only in 2024 that it rejoined the WEC as the series expanded to eight rounds again.

The current contract with Sao Paulo runs through 2028, guaranteeing Brazil a place on the calendar for two more seasons.

Monza

#2 Cadillac Racing Cadillac V-Series.R: Earl Bamber, Alex Lynn, Richard Westbrook

Photo by: JEP / Motorsport Images

The WEC made its first visit to Italy in 2021, even as the season was cut short to six races to reduce costs in the wake of the pandemic. Monza was an obvious choice for the WEC, having enjoyed a rich history in sportscar racing. Further, the race’s popularity was boosted by Ferrari, which was competing in the GTE classes at that time and had already announced its plans to enter Hypercar as a factory entrant in 2023.

WEC visited Monza for three consecutive years between 2021 and ‘23, with Toyota and Alpine sharing the overall wins. Ferrari had to settle for a second position on home turf in the 2023 edition of the event as the 499P made its home debut.

Monza returns to the WEC calendar this November, replacing Bahrain as the season finale. This also means the championship will conclude in Europe for the first time since the 2018/19 season.

Nurburgring

Start: #7 Toyota Gazoo Racing Toyota TS050 Hybrid: Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi, Jose Maria Lopez leads

Photo by: JEP / Motorsport Images

Given Porsche’s presence and sportscar history, it was only natural for WEC to add a race in Germany. And while the Hockenheimring is also known for its sportscar pedigree, Nurburgring was ultimately chosen as the venue for the WEC’s German round in 2015, reviving what was previously an important fixture in the World Championship of Makes.

The race also helped fill an important gap in the WEC’s post-Le Mans schedule, slotting in late August.

However, Nurburgring was dropped from the schedule after just three years, coinciding with Porsche’s exit from LMP1.

Mexico City

#2 Porsche Team Porsche 919 Hybrid: Timo Bernhard, Earl Bamber, Brendon Hartley

Photo by: JEP / Motorsport Images

The WEC’s first foray into Mexico came in 2016, bringing world championship-level sportscar racing back to Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez for the first time since 1991.

However, the event turned out to be short-lived and was dropped after just two years.

Porsche won both editions with its dominant 919 Hybrid, defeating Audi and Toyota at the high-altitude circuit.

Portimao

#708 Glickenhaus Racing Glickenhaus 007: Romain Dumas, Ryan Briscoe, Olivier Pla

Photo by: JEP / Motorsport Images

Portimao was the big beneficiary of the pandemic. Around the same time it began hosting F1 races, the Portuguese venue also joined the WEC calendar.

The 2021 Portimao event took place in mid-June – a date usually reserved for Le Mans – after the La Sarthe event had to be postponed to August. The race also ran for eight hours as opposed to the usual six.

After a year’s absence, Portugal returned on the WEC map in 2023, hosting the second round of the season, this time reverting to the standard six-hour format.

Losail

#51 Ferrari AF Corse Ferrari 499P: Alessandro Pier Guidi, James Calado, Antonio Giovinazzi

Photo by: JEP / Motorsport Images

The WEC added a second race in the Gulf in 2024, with Qatar joining as the season opener. The race was set to a distance of 1812km, in honour of Qatar’s National Day, but was subjected to a maximum duration of 10 hours.

Porsche triumphed in the first-ever WEC race at Losail, before Ferrari swept the podium positions in 2025. Qatar was again due to open the 2026 campaign, before the war in the Middle East forced the event to be postponed and eventually cancelled.

Qatar is already scheduled to make a return in 2027, assuming the prevailing situation improves in the region.

New addition: Barcelona

The 2019-20 WEC grid

Photo by: Toyota

The WEC will head to Spain for the first time in history, with Barcelona replacing the cancelled Qatar event. A six-hour race is scheduled for 18 October, a week before the postponed Qatar 1812km fixture was due to take place.

Although Barcelona has never hosted a championship race, some teams are already familiar with the circuit, having completed the WEC Prologue there ahead of the 2019-20 season.

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