You dont have javascript enabled! Please enable it!

World Endurance Championship

Formula 1/IndyCar/TV Times/World Endurance Championship

How to watch the IndyCar and WEC season-openers live · RaceFans

Admin
on

Start, IndyCar, St Petersburg, 2024


The off-season ends this week as two major racing series fire back to life.

The new IndyCar season will begin once again on the streets of St Petersburg in Florida. Qualifying takes place on Saturday and the race is on Sunday. The American series has moved to a different television network in its home country.

Ganassi driver Alex Palou heads into the new season aiming to continue asserting his authority on the highly competitive series. He is seeking his third championship in a row and fourth in the last five years.

Among those out to stop him are Penske’s Josef Newgarden, who claimed his second Indianapolis 500 victory last year. He was first to the chequered flag in the season-opener 12 months ago but did not keep the win. Newgarden and team mate Scott McLaughlin were disqualified six weeks later for using their push-to-pass systems at times when it should have been deactivated.

By the time the IndyCar drivers head out to qualify, the new World Endurance Championship will already have completed its first race, which is the second-longest on its calendar. The Qatar 1,812km, which took almost 10 hours to complete last year, will take place on Friday.

The main change among the Hypercar runners this year is the arrival of the new, two-car entry for Aston Martin. Its two Valkyries are run by Heart of Racing.

Here’s when to catch the key action in both series.

EventDateStart TimeEnd TimeTime ZoneChannels
World Endurance Championship: Qatar 1812km qualifyingThursday 27th February2:00pmEurope: LondonUK: FIAWEC TV, US: FIAWEC TV
World Endurance Championship: Qatar 1812kmFriday 28th February11:00amEurope: LondonUK: FIAWEC TV, US: FIAWEC TV
IndyCar: Grand Prix of St Petersburg qualifyingSaturday 1st March7:30pm9:00pmEurope: LondonUK: Sky Sports F1, US: FS1
IndyCar: Grand Prix of St PetersburgSunday 2nd March5:29pmEurope: LondonUK: Sky Sports F1, US: Fox

Having problems using the time zone converter? Please give feedback here

IndyCar

Browse all IndyCar articles


World Endurance Championship

Ford’s return to boost top Le Mans and WEC classes to nine manufacturers · RaceFans

Admin
on

The World Endurance Championship is set to boast an enviable roster of manufacturers in 2027 after Ford announced it will return to the series’ top class.

Ford is targeting its fifth outright win at the Le Mans 24 Hours, having triumphed in the race four years in a row in the sixties with its GT40, as depicted in a 2019 film. It enjoyed its last class win with its GT car in 2016 and pulled out of the series three years later.

The announcement follows that of another carmaking giant, Hyundai, which last month confirmed details of its plans to enter WEC next year with its Genesis brand. Following the departures of Audi-owned Lamborghini and niche brand Isotta Fraschini from the series last year, WEC can look forward to having nine major manufacturers at its races in 2027.

Ford and Genesis will join Ferrari, Porsche, BMW, Cadillac, Toyota, Peugeot and Renault-owned Alpine.

Bill Ford announced the company’s plans at a Ford Performance event yesterday. “There’s no track or race that means more to us than Le Mans,” he said.

“It’s where we took on Ferrari in the 1960s and beat them four times in a row. Then we went back 50 years later and we beat them again. And that was one of the great days in my career was in 2016 when we did that after 50 years.

“Tonight, I’m really happy to announce we’re going back to Le Mans, back to win. But not only the class, this time to win it all, because I’m announcing that in 2027 Ford will be competing with a new prototype LMDh.”

Ford is due to return to F1 next year as part of Red Bull’s new powertrains division. They will face at least five other manufacturers in grand prix racing: Ferrari, Mercedes, Audi, Honda and Alpine. Cadillac also has an agreement in principle to join F1 next year.

| Become a RaceFans supporter and go ad-free

Formula 1

Browse all Formula 1 articles

World Endurance Championship

Ford’s return to boost top Le Mans and WEC classes to 10 manufacturers · RaceFans

Admin
on

The World Endurance Championship is set to boast an enviable roster of manufacturers in 2027 after Ford announced it will return to the series’ top class.

Ford is targeting its fifth outright win at the Le Mans 24 Hours, having triumphed in the race four years in a row in the sixties with its GT40, as depicted in a 2019 film. It enjoyed its last class win with its GT car in 2016 and pulled out of the series three years later.

The announcement follows that of another carmaking giant, Hyundai, which last month confirmed details of its plans to enter WEC next year with its Genesis brand. Following the departures of Audi-owned Lamborghini and niche brand Isotta Fraschini from the series last year, WEC can look forward to having 10 major manufacturers at its races in 2027.

Ford and Genesis will join Ferrari, Porsche, Aston Martin, BMW, Cadillac, Toyota, Peugeot and Renault-owned Alpine.

Bill Ford announced the company’s plans at a Ford Performance event yesterday. “There’s no track or race that means more to us than Le Mans,” he said.

“It’s where we took on Ferrari in the 1960s and beat them four times in a row. Then we went back 50 years later and we beat them again. And that was one of the great days in my career was in 2016 when we did that after 50 years.

“Tonight, I’m really happy to announce we’re going back to Le Mans, back to win. But not only the class, this time to win it all, because I’m announcing that in 2027 Ford will be competing with a new prototype LMDh.”

Ford is due to return to F1 next year as part of Red Bull’s new powertrains division. They will face at least five other manufacturers in grand prix racing: Ferrari, Mercedes, Audi, Honda and Alpine. Cadillac also has an agreement in principle to join F1 next year.

| Become a RaceFans supporter and go ad-free

Formula 1

Browse all Formula 1 articles