Why Silverstone's return to the WEC is about more than just restoring a lost race

Silverstone's FIA WEC return is no longer a paddock rumor, as the return was confirmed as a ninth round for 2027 back at Le Mans. The dates are set, tickets are on sale, and the countdown has begun to the championship’s first visit to Britain's Grand Prix venue since 2019.

Now comes the next challenge: ensuring the championship's long-awaited return to the UK becomes a lasting success.

For Silverstone managing director Stuart Pringle, the new four-year agreement with the WEC is about far more than restoring a race to the calendar that fell off the schedule during the pandemic, or once again awarding the RAC Tourist Trophy. The ambition is to establish the British round as one of the championship's marquee events, second only to the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

"This is just restarting our relationship with the World Endurance Championship," Pringle tells RACER. "I'm absolutely looking beyond this four-year deal.

"This is a genuine partnership with WEC. We're very much in this together. They really want to be at Silverstone because they believe it adds value to the calendar, and I'm determined we don't let them down.

"Nothing is going to rival Le Mans, that's a constant. But I see no reason why we can't quickly become the next biggest race on the calendar."

The championship's return in April 2027 ends a seven-year absence from Silverstone. Unlike previous editions, when the WEC shared a weekend with the European Le Mans Series, the championships will now race on separate dates, with ELMS remaining at the circuit in September.

Pringle believes that separation will strengthen both events while giving Britain's sizeable sportscar racing audience two major endurance meetings each year.

"I hope the biggest crowd comes to WEC because it's the World Championship," he adds "But I also hope people come to WEC in April and say, 'That's really good, let's come back in September for ELMS.' I want both, and I want both to be successful meetings."

One of the turning points in bringing WEC back came during the European Le Mans Series’ return to Silverstone last year. Despite poor weather on race day, the event attracted an encouraging crowd and demonstrated that there remains a healthy appetite for top-level endurance racing in Britain.

While Pringle stopped short of endorsing the six-figure attendance figures released after the event, he believes the meeting proved both the quality of racing Silverstone consistently delivers and the demand that still exists.

"I think it was important," he said. "There were people involved who hadn't been around when WEC was here before.

"They saw cracking racing. Silverstone is one of those circuits where sportscars always seem to produce fantastic racing. It's a fast circuit and it really works for aerodynamic cars. They also saw there is genuine interest in sportscar racing here."

FIA WEC CEO Frédéric Lequien recently confirmed to RACER that the ELMS event played an important role in finalizing the agreement. ”I always said the opposite, but now I can tell you that the ELMS race at Silverstone was a test for this," he said.

The meeting also gave Silverstone an opportunity to showcase its credentials as an event promoter.

"We put on races week in, week out, from world championships all the way down to grassroots motorsport," Pringle explained. "That's really important to the BRDC. We see ourselves as guardians of British motorsport, and having the complete spectrum of competition here is a huge part of that.

Organizers are confident of a strong fan turnout when top-tier sportscar racing returns to the UK. Jakob Ebrey/Getty Images

Pringle expects strong demand from the first running of the revived event, driven by years of pent-up demand and Britain's enduring appetite for major motorsport.

"I anticipate there'll be a really strong first year because I think there's pent-up demand for this," he said. "Our challenge is to explain to fans of Formula 1 fans that this is every bit as good and unpack it for them. This is an incredible game of chess that plays out over six hours, and tactically it's every bit as enthralling."

Silverstone's long-term target is to attract more than 100,000 spectators across the race weekend during the initial four-year agreement.

"I think that's absolutely achievable. I think we can get to six figures over the weekend in this country," he said.

The circuit has also placed a strong emphasis on affordability, with ticket prices for the weekend set at £95 ($126).

"We're very cognizant of price, and we're trying to get the balance right of building the audience and not losing our shirts,” Pringle adds.

Fans will have access to viewing areas around the entire circuit throughout the weekend, although not every grandstand will necessarily be open unless demand requires it. Away from the track, Silverstone plans to build an entertainment program tailored to the event rather than attempting to replicate Formula 1's large-scale concert offerings.

A major reason for Silverstone's optimism for the event’s return is the current strength of Hypercar. British manufacturers Aston Martin and McLaren will compete alongside Ferrari, Porsche, Toyota, BMW and Cadillac, providing what Pringle sees as a powerful platform for attracting both existing endurance racing fans and supporters of the brands themselves.

"You need British brands,” he said. "Having Aston Martin and McLaren in this championship made a direct, material impact on our decision-making because it gives us confidence we can build a crowd.

"These are huge brands, and they're willing to work with us. The manufacturers understand that while they compete fiercely on track, everybody wins if the championship grows."

That collaboration is expected to continue well beyond race weekend, with manufacturers already discussing activations and customer experiences around the event.

"The UK is an important market," Pringle said. "It's a warm audience, and the manufacturers want to be here.

"We're not prescriptive. We sit down with them and ask, 'What do you want to achieve? How can we help your brand?' Whether it's displays, fan experiences or other activations, we'll work together to make it happen."

For Silverstone, the WEC's return represents another step in a broader strategy to strengthen its calendar beyond Formula 1 and continue growing the venue as a year-round destination.

For the championship, meanwhile, it restores one of the world's great racing circuits to a schedule that many inside the paddock have long felt was incomplete without Britain's home of motorsport. Bringing the race back has not been straightforward, particularly given the costs associated with adding additional rounds to the calendar, with the backdrop of financial pressures facing the automotive industry.

But, as Lequien explained to RACER: “Sometimes you take decisions which are not guided by finances.

"We just want to go to Silverstone, we just want to return to the UK. We believe the fans in the UK deserve a WEC round. It’s always my philosophy to find a win-win situation. We started from zero two years ago and achieved something great."