Despite schedule setback, Qatar steadily building a foundation in motorsports via WEC

For the people inside Le Mans Endurance Management (LMEM), running the FIA World Endurance Championship in 2026 has been anything but straightforward.

Managing relationships with a growing roster of manufacturers is challenging enough. But since conflict erupted in the Middle East in February, LMEM, alongside the FIA and the ACO, has also had to reshape its globe-trotting calendar on the fly.

The season was originally due to begin with the Qatar 1812km at the Lusail International Circuit. Instead, concerns over regional security prompted a rapid rethink. Within two weeks, the opening round was postponed until later in the year, while the traditional Prologue test and season opener were moved to Imola. It was a significant logistical undertaking, made easier by the Qatar Motor and Motorcycle Federation's willingness to respond quickly.

With tensions in the region still unresolved, the final two rounds of the season – in Qatar and Bahrain during October and November – remain under review. A decision is expected after the Interlagos round later this month. Should the championship's stakeholders determine that travel cannot proceed safely, LMEM will activate a contingency plan to complete the eight-round schedule at alternative venues in southern Europe.

QMMF President Abdulrahman Al Mannai as well as the Bahrain International Circuit Company, have been in constant contact with LMEM and are ready to respond to whatever the final decision is on the calendar.

“We have a fantastic relationship with the WEC, and F1 and Dorna with MotoGP. We thought originally that the best decision was to postpone the races,” Al Mannia tells RACER. “But we are ready at any time. We have been planning for the races; we haven’t stopped anything, and we look forward to hosting very soon.

“You cannot predict these situations; there isn’t much we can do about it, other than plan to make sure we can go ahead when the time comes. Hopefully, there is an agreement, and hopefully things work out.”

Its race may be on hold, but Team Qatar made its presence felt at Le Mans. Jakob Ebrey/Getty Images

While the immediate future remains uncertain, Qatar's long-term commitment to endurance racing has shown no signs of slowing.

That commitment was on display at this year's 24 Hours of Le Mans. Al Mannai was in attendance to oversee Team Qatar’s maiden appearance, which came in LMGT3 in partnership with Iron Lynx and Mercedes-AMG. It marked the latest step in a project that has steadily expanded from domestic competition to the European Le Mans Series and now the FIA WEC’s showpiece event.

“To me, Le Mans is one of the biggest, if not the biggest, races in the world. It’s the pinnacle of endurance racing, and the history and tradition are unbelievable,” Al Mannai noted. “So it brings me and QMMF a lot of joy and pride to compete for the first time in such a competitive field.

“We’ve been working on getting to this point for more than three years. We’ve taken Team Qatar from national to regional competition, then to the ELMS and now to here. We’re extremely happy with the direction we are headed.”

Al Mannai feels motorsport is becoming increasingly popular in Qatar. One of his broader goals in the drive to get Team Qatar off the ground is to grow interest and participation locally.

“One of our original goals in having a team make it to Le Mans was to create a fan base. And we hope that attracts new talent for us. We’re creating a pipeline for us, and we hope that it will inspire kids at home," he explained. “We’ve also been able to bring people from the embassy to Le Mans as well as government officials.

“There is a long-term vision for the team. It’s important for us to get good results, and once we have good results, we will go further to the next steps, maybe to prototype racing later on.”

Hosting a round of the WEC forms another key part of that strategy. Beyond the sporting spectacle, Al Mannai believes the championship provides Qatar with an opportunity to strengthen its international identity while introducing endurance racing to a broader local audience.

“The most important part for us is identity. When you come to Le Mans, you know about it – it has history, it has a brand. When people see Qatar on TV or visit, we want people to understand what Qatar is. We’re trying to build that theme.

“We’re really passionate about the WEC, I am really passionate about it. For us, it’s a new race, and we feel it works because people can relate to the cars, like Ferrari, Porsche, Mercedes-AMG. It’s a way for people to engage with the sport, because they recognize them and there is a connection. We’re building it up and trying to build a fan base.

“There are a lot of benefits to hosting big sporting events like this. We’ve hosted the World Cup, Formula 1, and we have the World Basketball Championship coming up next year. It impacts our tourism, our culture, and our society. It’s our country’s vision to welcome people and events, and we’re delivering that.

“We have exciting plans for the future of the WEC in Qatar, for the fans. We are always looking at improving, and we have announcements for when the time comes.”