This year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans has been postponed from its original scheduled date of June 13-14 to September 19-20.
The three-month delay comes in response to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Should this date remain unchanged, it will mean the current World Endurance Championship will run for almost 13 months having kicked off last year at Silverstone.
“Postponing the 24 Hours of Le Mans 2020, originally scheduled for 13-14 June, is the appropriate solution in face of the exceptional health circumstances that we are all going through today,” president of the ACO, Pierre Fillon said. “It goes without saying that we will make every effort to ensure the safety and quality of our events. Today it is a question of stopping the spread of this virus. I would also like to spare warm thoughts for all the medical personnel working to protect our health”, the representative added.
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It is understood that the postponement of Le Mans will trigger a delay in the start of next season and the introduction of the long-awaited hypercar class, which was due to kick off in Silverstone on September 5.
“It is the right decision to delay in light of the current situation,” chief executive of FIA WEC and ELMS, Gérard Neveu said. “We are now working on revising our WEC, ELMS, Michelin Le Mans Cup and Ligier European Series calendars for the remainder of this season, and for the WEC’s Season 9 which was due to start in September 2020”, he added.
The 24 Hours of Le Mans is far from the only motorsport event postponed or canceled as a result of Covid-19. Last week, the F1 Australian Grand Prix was canceled at the very last minute and the decision has also been made to pull the plug on the Bahrain and Vietnamese Grands Prix. Other series, including Formula E, the WRC, MotoGP, IndyCar, and NASCAR, have also been impacted.
