Le Mans to avoid Formula 1 grand prix clash in 2014

The FIA has announced the the 24 Hours will be held on June 14/15, which marks a return to its traditional mid-June date, and that an F1 race will not take place on the same weekend as the blue-riband round of the World Endurance Championship.

The bulletin from today's meeting of the FIA World Motor Sport Council said: "In order to preserve the historic date of the Le Mans 24 Hours, which this year celebrated its 90th edition, the date of June 14/15 2014 has been retained to ensure that a F1 GP is not hosted the same weekend."

The announcement means that Le Mans will not clash with an F1 round for the third year in succession.

The race has repeatedly clashed with the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal since the 1980s.

Le Mans most recently took place on the same weekend as the race in Canada in 2010-11 and ran on the same weekend as the F1 event every year from 1996 to 2000.

The dates of Le Mans and the US Grand Prix at Indianapolis coincided in 2005 and '07.

The Le Mans Test Day will again be two weeks before the race, on June 1.