The ACO and the FIA Extend Their WEC Agreement Through 2037

The FIA and the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO) renewed their partnership in the World Endurance Championship through the end of 2037, an agreement that puts to rest the reports of a possible split published since September 17, when it was suggested that the 24 Hours of Le Mans could be left out of the WEC.

That day, reports emerged that negotiations had become complicated and that the FIA was considering looking for another promoter for the World Endurance Championship. The report described a WEC with a different promoter and without the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and located the differences in the commercial and regulatory control of the championship and in the financial terms of the relationship. On September 18, the FIA clarified that the existing contract ran through the end of 2027, so that year's edition at Le Mans was not in danger, and both parties explained that the talks referred to the following period, the one now covered.

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What the renewal through 2037 includes

The renewal covers from the end of 2027 through the end of 2037, and with it the regulatory processes will go through the FIA working groups and its Endurance Commission, with final approval from the World Motor Sport Council. Homologation of the cars in the Hypercar class will fall under joint FIA and ACO supervision, with a more streamlined procedure, and the FIA will reinforce its identity in parc fermé, the podium ceremony, the safety cars, and the broadcasts.

Compared to the split scenario, the regulatory control and the FIA's presence are the points closest to what was said to be in dispute, although the statements do not detail the financial terms or how the commercial development that both parties say they want to expand will be shared.

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Why Le Mans ownership complicated the negotiation

The FIA sanctions the championship and approves its regulations, but the 24 Hours of Le Mans belongs to the ACO, a club founded in 1906 that created the race and has organized it since its first edition in 1923. In a scenario with another promoter, the race would not have gone directly with the FIA, and it would have been necessary to decide whether it remained within the WEC, whether it was held as a standalone event, or whether the ACO would build its own structure around it.

In addition to Le Mans, the ACO organizes the European Le Mans Series and the Asian Le Mans Series, and its subsidiary Le Mans Endurance Management handles the promotion and commercial organization of the WEC, a championship that the FIA and the club launched together in 2012. Frédéric Lequien, the company's executive director, said the championship is experiencing a moment of strong interest from manufacturers, teams, sponsors, media, and fans, and that the renewal provides a solid structure to keep growing.

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Hypercar already operates in the WEC and IMSA, and the next step is 2030

The Hypercar category has been running for several seasons in the WEC, where its regulations have been in force since 2021, and it shares an ecosystem with IMSA since the 2020 agreement between the ACO and that organization to bring their top categories closer together. From that came the LMH cars, developed under the framework of the FIA and ACO, and the LMDh cars, created by ACO and IMSA, which means a manufacturer can compete at Daytona, Sebring, and Le Mans without developing a different prototype for each championship.

What comes next is the 2030 regulations, agreed in June 2026 by the FIA, ACO, and IMSA, with a common two-wheel-drive platform and hybrid systems for the WEC Hypercars and the IMSA GTPs. Manufacturers will have more freedom to develop engines and, if they wish, their own chassis, or they can turn to approved constructors as happens today in LMDh. In its statement, the FIA also mentions that the renewal opens the way for hydrogen propulsion systems in competition.

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The figures the FIA uses to back the agreement

Attendance at the circuits increased 8% in 2026, 44% of attendees are 34 years old or younger, and 40% were attending a WEC event for the first time. In Hypercar, eight manufacturers compete, and with the LMGT3 class, added in 2024, the championship brings together 14 manufacturers in total. It is also the fourth long-term agreement for FIA world championships since July 2025.

Mohammed Ben Sulayem, president of the FIA, said the agreement guarantees the championship's future for years and strengthens a relationship of more than 120 years between the two organizations. Pierre Fillon, president of the ACO, spoke of a partnership built on trust and shared goals, and thanked Ben Sulayem for the working relationship they have maintained.