Henri Dubois · Endurance-Korrespondent
The world's automotive governing body and the Automobile Club de l'Ouest have prolonged their collaboration on the world endurance championship for another decade, ending weeks of speculation about a potential split.
The FIA and the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO) have announced an extension of their partnership for the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC). The new ten-year agreement seamlessly follows the existing arrangement, which expires at the end of 2027, securing the series through the end of 2037, with the 24 Hours of Le Mans continuing as a central highlight of the calendar.
A Decision Made With Long-Term Vision
Anyone who has followed endurance racing for years knows that stability here is rarely an afterthought but rather the foundation upon which manufacturers can actually plan their programs. A hypercar project, from the first rulebook reading to its debut at Le Mans, requires years of development, committed personnel, and budgets that only make sense if the series in which you compete will remain viable beyond the next cycle. That's exactly what the new agreement delivers: not a short-term extension by one or two seasons, but a full decade that gives manufacturers, customer teams, and sponsors in the currently crowded hypercar and LMGT3 field a level of reliability that has been rare in endurance racing's recent history.
The timing of this decision, coming several years before the old contract would even expire, reads as a deliberate signal aimed at precisely this audience. Anyone considering a factory program starting in 2028 or later can now do so with the confidence that the WEC, as a joint project of the FIA and ACO, will continue through at least 2037 without the uncertainty of another round of negotiations looming in a few years' time.
Weeks of Speculation, Now Settled
The announcement came after weeks during which motorsports media had speculated about possible tensions between the two organizations or even an outright split. Such periods of uncertainty are never without consequence for a series that thrives on long-term manufacturer commitments, even when nothing substantial actually underlies the rumors. With the now-signed ten-year agreement, those whispers are put to rest, and the message to the racing paddock is unambiguous: the partnership between the FIA and ACO that has existed since the WEC's founding in 2012 will not only continue but will be locked in for a considerably longer stretch than the previous contract cycle would have suggested.
Regulations, Homologation, and a Stronger FIA Presence
In terms of substance, the division of labor remains essentially unchanged. All technical and sporting regulations will continue to be developed jointly and go through established bodies, the FIA Endurance Commission and the FIA World Motor Sport Council, before taking effect. For manufacturers, one change in day-to-day operations is likely to be noticeable: the homologation process for hypercars has been simplified and streamlined, meaning that technical approvals and ongoing balance-of-performance adjustments should require less administrative overhead going forward, a detail that carries real weight in a class with numerous manufacturer entries at present.
Fans will see the new agreement reflected in a more visible FIA presence throughout the championship, in parc fermé, on the podium, with the safety cars, and in television broadcasts. A detail that might seem unremarkable on its face, but it signals that the world governing body is not pulling back its role in the WEC but rather expanding it.
Words From the Top and What Comes Next
FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem called the agreement a "deal of the century" that strengthens the historic partnership and lays the foundation for a decade of growth, as he explained. ACO President Pierre Fillon in turn emphasized the partnership built on equal footing since the WEC's founding in 2012 and the shared goal of continuing to expand endurance racing worldwide.
For the seasons ahead, the extension means one thing above all: stability in the background while competition in the field itself intensifies among hypercar manufacturers and the numerous LMGT3 programs. Whether the golden age spoken of in connection with this deal truly carries through all ten years will only become clear through coming regulation cycles and manufacturer decisions, but the contractual foundation for it has been laid with this extension through the end of 2037.
