Le Mans test day moved permanently to one week before race

Race organiser the Automobile Club de l'Ouest has decided to shift the test on the full 8.47-mile Circuit de la Sarthe from its traditional date two weeks ahead of the race after experimenting with the revised format over the past two years as a result of COVID.

ACO sporting director Vincent Beaumesnil told Autosport: "We think this format is better for everyone.

"It really works for the spectators, because they can book a week-long holiday and enjoy the whole programme, and it is good for all the marshals and officials, too.

"The teams have to spend less time in Le Mans, so it is a good from a cost point of view.

"With the quality of the cars today, we don't feel it is necessary to have the test day two weeks before the 24 Hours."

There was no test day in 2020 when Le Mans was delayed until September, before it was re-instigated last year on the Sunday ahead of Le Mans week.

The test day was a fixture of the Le Mans programme in the 1960s, briefly returned in the 1980s and then became part of the schedule again in 1993.

It traditionally took place at the end of April before moving to two weeks before the race in 2005 after pressure from the American Le Mans Series, whose entrants provided a significant element of the grid.

#63 Corvette Racing Chevrolet Corvette C8.R LMGTE Pro of Antonio Garcia, Jordan Taylor, Nicky Catsburg, #41 RealTeam by WRT Oreca 07 - Gibson LMP2 of Rui Andrade, Ferdinand Habsburg, Norman Nato, #708 Glickenhaus Racing Glickenhaus SCG 007 LMH of Olivier Pla, Romain Dumas, Felipe Derani

Photo by: Paul Foster

The date for next year's Le Mans 24 Hours has been confirmed for 10-11 June.

The WEC has extended its deal with the Bahrain International Circuit, which will keep the Middle Eastern venue on the schedule until the 2027 season.

Bahrain was part of the calendar from the rebirth of the WEC in 2012 until '17.

It disappeared from the series for the 2018/19 superseason, which included two editions of Le Mans, before returning as round four of the 2019/20 season in November '19 with a new eight-hour duration.

A second race in Bahrain, which rounded out the season, was added after the calendar underwent wholesale revisions as a result of COVID.

Last year's series climaxed with a Bahrain double-header made up of one six-hour and one eight-hour race.