The FIA World Endurance Championship has announced that the 8 Hours of Portimao will no longer act as the opener for the 2021 season, as it has been postponed to June.
Instead, the Six Hours of Spa-Francorchamps will act as the opening round of the season on May 1.
The change in calendar for the championship comes just days after the 24 Hours of Le Mans was postponed to August.
According to the championship, the decision to postpone the round in Portugal was made ‘following the uncertainty surrounding the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic including travel restrictions from different Governments in various countries, meaning travel to and from Portugal is heavily compromised.’
The eight-hour enduro will now be held on the same weekend the 24 Hours of Le Mans was originally set to be held: June 12-13.
The WEC also states that it hopes it will be able to welcome fans to the round in Portugal come June.
The pre-season Prologue has also been relocated, now taking place at Spa on 26-27 April.
The third round at Monza has retained its mid-July slot, with Le Mans now taking place on August 21-22, followed by unchanged rounds at Fuji and Bahrain in September and November.
“I would like to thank our teams, suppliers, partners, the FIA, the Portimão and Spa-Francorchamps circuit organisers, the LMEM team and many others for their cooperation in what continues to be a difficult time for everyone,” said Frédéric Lequien, CEO of the FIA WEC.
“The new date for Portimão will give us a better chance of allowing fans to attend and we are certain that the change in schedule is more favourable for all concerned.”
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