The FIA and ACO could diverge in their present collaboration over the FIA World Endurance Championship, according to a leading German automotive and motorsport publication, a development that would have wide-reaching effects across the sportscar landscape worldwide.
Auto Motor und Sport reports that the WEC has been operating without a renewal contract due in June between the two governing bodies.
The piece notes that two agreements governing the collaboration between the FIA and ACO have lapsed. The first designates Le Mans Endurance Management (LMEM), a subsidiary of the ACO, as the promoter of the WEC, while the second confirms that the 24 Hours of Le Mans is part of the WEC season, with the arrangements outlining financial contributions to the FIA for world championship titles and a series of other obligations.
At Le Mans in June, FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem played down rumors of friction with ACO President Pierre Fillon, though Auto Motor und Sport maintains that no deal has been reached and even speculates that the FIA could soon issue a public tender for a new promoter of the WEC.
The publication indicates that tensions have reached a point where Richard Mille, head of the FIA Endurance Commission, is reportedly set to depart from his role at the end of this year.
Ben Sulayem, who was re-elected as FIA President last December, has been in the process of renegotiating contracts for all FIA world championships, with the WEC reportedly the only major series still without a fresh agreement.
The report notes that the contract negotiations are “allegedly causing an escalation.”
Should the FIA appoint a new promoter, it would lose the 24 Hours of Le Mans, since the French endurance classic is owned and governed by the ACO, a move that could even pave the way for a separate series run by the ACO, echoing the WEC’s predecessor, the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup.
The 2030 top-class technical regulations, which have been agreed in principle by the FIA, ACO and IMSA, could also be jeopardized.
Sport Auto Editor-in-Chief Marcus Schurig writes: “This would turn the world order in endurance racing upside down, raising numerous questions: Can an endurance world championship function without Le Mans?
What will the ACO do if it has to relinquish the world title? Will there be an ACO [breakaway] series, centered around the 24 Hours of Le Mans? And if so, what technical regulations will govern the prototype and GT race cars?”
“What are the car manufacturers doing? Are they withdrawing? Or are they showing solidarity with the ACO – or with the FIA? What will happen to the regulatory cooperation between the ACO/FIA and the IMSA championship?
“The American LMDh concept clearly has the upper hand in terms of manufacturer support, with a 9:4 margin [over LMH]. If the alliance between the ACO and FIA breaks down, then the boom in endurance racing could also come to an abrupt end.”
The FIA and ACO joined forces to launch the WEC in 2012, a re-incarnation of the World Sportscar Championship, which collapsed at the end of 1992.
The WEC has recently seen record growth among manufacturer involvement in the Hypercar class, which debuted in 2021 but reached convergence with the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship in 2023 with the start of the LMDh ruleset, which is balanced with LMH-based prototypes in the top classes of both championships.
There are currently eight manufacturers in Hypercar, with two more — Ford and McLaren — on the way for next year, while the LMGT3 grid is represented by nine brands.
