F1 News, Reports and Race Results

Le Mans delayed until August to allow fans to attend

The Le Mans 24 Hour endurance race has been moved from its traditional mid-June slot on the racing calendar in 2021, in a bid to allow organisers enough time to be able to open the doors to spectators.

Last year's race was delayed until September because of the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic which disrupted travel around the world. It was the first time in the history of the race that no fans were allowed to attend.

This year's race had been provisionally scheduled to take place on June 12-13, but was always subject to change depending on the ongoing COVID situation.

Although new cases of the virus are in decline and vaccines are being successfully rolled out, a June date still meant the race would probably have had to be held behind closed doors for a second consecutive year.

But on Thursday the Automobile Club de l’Ouest, organiser of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, in liaison with the World Endurance Championship (FIA WEC) and the Fédération Internationale Automobile (FIA), confirmed that the race was being pushed back to the weekend of August 21-22.

The delay gives organisers the realistic hope that social distancing restrictions on mass gatherings would be substantialy lifted by then.

It means crowds of up to 50,000 might be permitted at the Circuit de la Sarthe in strict compliance with the applicable health and safety measures.

"Although it was a tough decision to make, it is the right one," said Pierre Fillon, President of the Automobile Club de l’Ouest.

"Holding the 24 Hours of Le Mans behind closed doors for the second year running would be unthinkable. We are therefore doing all we can to avoid that happening and to give competitors a clear view of the whole season.

"We are working very hard to put on a safe event, with all the necessary health precautions in place. This year’s race promises to be another thriller as the new Hypercar class makes its debut."

The dates of the other races and events to be held at the Le Mans Circuit remain unchanged at the present time. The ACO said that it is working closely with the organisers of the various events that could be impacted by this change.

The move does mean that the race now clashes with the IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Championship, which is due to race at Virginia International Raceway on the same weekend.

But at least the new date avoids a new conflict with Formula 1 by falling within the traditional summer break between the Hungarian and Belgian Grands Prix.

The FIA’s World Motor Sport Council is set to hold a virtual meeting online on Friday to rubber stamp the decision and discuss other possible schedule changes for this year's FIA World Endurance Championship.

Gallery: The beautiful wives and girlfriends of F1 drivers

Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter

Andrew Lewin

Andrew first became a fan of Formula 1 during the time when Michael Schumacher and Damon Hill were stepping into the limelight after the era of Alain Prost, Nigel Mansell and Aryton Senna. He's been addicted ever since, and has been writing about the sport now for nearly a quarter of a century for a number of online news sites. He's also written professionally about GP2 (now Formula 2), GP3, IndyCar, World Rally Championship, MotoGP and NASCAR. In his other professional life, Andrew is a freelance writer, social media consultant, web developer/programmer, and digital specialist in the fields of accessibility, usability, IA, online communities and public sector procurement. He worked for many years in magazine production at Bauer Media, and for over a decade he was part of the digital media team at the UK government's communications department. Born and raised in Essex, Andrew currently lives and works in south-west London.

Recent Posts

Verstappen pondered quitting Red Bull, but loyalty stronger

Max Verstappen admits that he pondered a future away from Red Bull earlier this season,…

13 hours ago

Sainz critical of Ferrari's execution: ‘No one’s happy today’

Carlos Sainz delivered a podium finish to Ferrari in Las Vegas, but the Spaniard was…

15 hours ago

Las Vegas GP: Saturday night's action in pictures

There are two more races to go before the curtain falls on F1's 2024 campaign.…

16 hours ago

Horner: Verstappen has 'cemented' position among F1 greats

Red Bull team boss Christian Horner believes that Max Verstappen’s fourth F1 world championship has…

17 hours ago

Norris proud of McLaren, but title 'never really on'

Lando Norris came to Las Vegas with a mathematical chance of catching Max Verstappen in…

18 hours ago

Vasseur plays down Leclerc’s post-race radio rage

Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur has brushed off Charles Leclerc’s fiery post-race radio message following…

19 hours ago