Insight: What's Next for WEC's American Round?

John Dagys explores the current state-of-play for the FIA World Endurance Championship's future in the U.S...

Last week’s 1000 Miles of Sebring kicked off a new era for the FIA World Endurance Championship, in the first race for converged top-class prototype machinery, showcasing the efforts between the ACO, FIA and IMSA that have been ongoing for years.

But it very well could have been the last outing for the globe-trotting series at Sebring International Raceway, following three ‘Super Sebring’ events alongside the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring.

With its contract with the IMSA-owned track up at the end of last Friday’s event, the WEC has been reportedly exploring new options for its U.S. round following a number of challenges surrounding the Sebring event, particularly heading into next year.

WEC CEO Frederic Lequien was non-committal when asked by Sportscar365 on Sebring’s future on the calendar, admitting that he “cannot say anything” about the U.S. race until the 2024 schedule is released at Le Mans in June.

What is known already is that the WEC’s annual Prologue pre-season test won’t return to the Florida airfield circuit, with the world championship’s new ten-year deal with Qatar including both the Prologue as well as serving as the season-opening event.

While yet to be officially announced, FIA and ACO sources have indicated that the Qatar round will likely be placed in late February or early March, meaning a return to Sebring during the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship weekend would be a tall order.