The Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) has done a disservice to motorsport by scheduling the opening rounds of the 2024 Formula 1 World Championship and the World Endurance Championship (WEC) on the same weekend and in close proximity to each other. This raises concerns about the FIA’s handling of our beloved motorsport. The Bahrain Grand Prix, which marks the start of the F1 season, coincides with the WEC’s opener, the Qatar 1812 KM race. This is a completely irrational and irresponsible decision that disregards the importance of avoiding scheduling conflicts. Such clashes harm the sport, create divisions, and force fans and media to make difficult choices. F1 will inevitably overshadow the events in Qatar, depriving the WEC, with its impressive Hypercar and GT grid, of the attention it deserves. It is crucial that the WEC has its own platform and separate dates to showcase its talents. Unfortunately, the issues persist, as the WEC’s Round 2 clashes with the Chinese Grand Prix, the Lone Star Le Mans coincides with the Italian Grand Prix, and both the 6 Hours of Fuji and the 8 Hours of Bahrain coincide with the Azerbaijan Grand Prix and the Brazilian Grand Prix, respectively. These clashes are comparable to hosting major sporting events on the same night or weekend, which is absurd. Surprisingly, the mainstream media in motorsport has remained silent on this matter, failing to address the FIA’s significant blunder. The responsibility for this falls on FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem, who must be held accountable for allowing such a mistake to occur. The WEC has reached new heights, so it is baffling why these clashes are happening. I will seek answers from the FIA by posing some uncomfortable questions. One question that comes to mind is where Ben Sulayem will choose to attend the opening weekend of motorsport at the end of this month. Will he be present in Qatar or Bahrain? After all, the venues are within close proximity, less than 100 kilometers apart by helicopter. However, I must ask these questions without any bias. Regardless of his previous decision to step away from F1, it is evident that the FIA boss enjoys being in the spotlight a bit too much. His love for attention and titles is well-known, as he is considered the most famous man in the Middle East. This leads me to the main point of this article: Are these clashes between F1 and WEC dates a result of a fierce battle between FOM and FIA? I do not expect the FIA to provide a meaningful response to this post. Instead, they will likely offer narcissistic excuses, deflecting blame onto logistics, religious holidays, or other irrelevant factors. None of these excuses are acceptable, especially considering that there was ample time to schedule a round or two of the WEC in the past two months. Instead, they have chosen to cram both F1 and WEC events into a nine-month period. It remains to be seen what the FIA will say in response to these concerns. Editor Jad Mallak has expressed his opinion on this matter, stating that if the decision to clash dates between WEC and F1 is a tactic in the ongoing power struggle between FOM and F1, it is bound to fail. As an avid F1 fan who has recently started watching WEC, Mallak believes that most motorsport fans would choose to watch F1 over endurance racing if they had to make a choice. F1 still holds a significant advantage as the “pinnacle of motorsport.” The FIA would be undermining themselves and harming the WEC by pursuing this course of action.
According to the Source grandprix247.com