WEC edging closer to Silverstone return

Is the FIA WEC set to return to Silverstone in the near future?

After years of deliberation, the championship's organisers are closing in on striking a deal with the circuit that will see it return to the schedule in 2027, for the WEC's first race on UK soil since 2019.

Multiple sources have suggested to RACER in recent weeks that it is likely to serve as a ninth round in an expanded calendar. Silverstone would also become a fourth European venue for the WEC, along with Imola, Spa-Francorchamps and Le Mans.

The race itself is also being tipped to be held early in the year before the 24 Hours of Le Mans in June, as part of a more condensed start to the season featuring four races before the championship's showpiece event.

There have been additional suggestions from paddock sources since the 2026 calendar was released last month that a deal is already in place, but RACER understands that while negotiations have reached their final stages, a contract has not yet been signed.

Taking the WEC to Silverstone is not a cheap endeavour, and the teams voted earlier this year to maintain an eight-race calendar for 2026 due to cost concerns. As a result, LMEM (Le Mans Endurance Management, which promotes and manages the FIA WEC) is having to prioritize finding a solution with Silverstone that works financially for both sides.

Primarily, the WEC's management team requires confidence that the cost of travelling across the English Channel for a race would be offset, at least in part, by gate receipts.

UK-based sportscar fans are clearly hungry for live racing, though. Advanced ticket sales for the European Le Mans Series' return to Silverstone in September have been so strong (more than 20,000 are understood to have been sold already) that there is a firm belief a record-breaking crowd would attend.