One of the UAE’s favourite endurance racing championships is heading to Europe for the 2026/27 season, with the Asian Le Mans Series temporarily relocating amid ongoing regional uncertainty.
The 2026/27 Asian Le Mans Series will be held entirely in Europe, with races in France, Spain and Portugal under a new one-season identity: the Winter Le Mans Series.
The decision marks one of the biggest changes in the championship’s history.
For years, the Asian Le Mans Series has been a central part of the Gulf’s winter racing calendar, bringing international teams, drivers and GT machinery to the region during the European off-season. That familiar format will disappear for one season as organisers respond to geopolitical uncertainty, limited circuit availability and rising logistical costs across the Middle East and Asia.
The priority was continuity.
Rather than risk late cancellations or an unstable calendar, organisers evaluated several alternatives with the aim of giving teams, drivers and commercial partners a clear and workable season.
Europe became the most practical solution.
Why the Asian Le Mans Series Is Moving to Europe
The 2026/27 season had to balance several competing factors.
Winter availability at suitable Asian circuits was limited, while the cost of transporting teams and equipment across the region had become increasingly difficult to justify.
The calendar also needed to avoid clashes with two of the biggest endurance races outside Europe: the 24 Hours of Daytona and the Bathurst 12 Hour.
That left few realistic options.
By moving the full season to Europe, the championship can retain its winter schedule, protect the competitive structure and reduce the risk of disruption later in the year.
The Asian Le Mans Series name will remain, but the campaign will operate under the Winter Le Mans Series banner for this exceptional season.
Paul Ricard Opens the Season
The championship will begin at Circuit Paul Ricard in France from 13 to 15 November.
Rounds 1 and 2 will take place across the same weekend, giving teams an immediate double-header to begin the season.
Paul Ricard offers a very different challenge from the Middle Eastern circuits that have traditionally shaped the championship. Its long straights, heavy braking zones and technical final sector should place greater emphasis on aerodynamic efficiency and traffic management across the multi-class field.
It will also represent the first step in a compressed European winter campaign.
Jerez Takes the Championship Into 2027
After the Christmas break, the series will move to Spain.
The Circuito de Jerez near Cádiz will host Rounds 3 and 4 from 15 to 17 January 2027, with two four-hour races scheduled across the weekend.
Jerez brings a tighter and more technical character to the calendar, with fast direction changes and limited room for error through traffic.
For teams arriving from Paul Ricard, the shift in circuit style should make car set-up and tyre management even more important.
Portimão Hosts the Finale
The season will conclude at the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve in Portugal from 19 to 21 February 2027.
Portimão will host the final two races of the championship, bringing the campaign to one of Europe’s most physical and visually distinctive circuits.
Its steep elevation changes, blind crests and high-speed corners make it one of the most demanding venues on the calendar.
By the time the series reaches Portugal, six races across three circuits will have decided the first Winter Le Mans Series title.
Hypercar Joins the Asian Le Mans Series
The calendar move is not the only major change.
The Hypercar category will make its debut during the 2026/27 season, adding the highest level of modern endurance racing machinery to the championship.
That move immediately raises the competitive and commercial profile of the series.
Hypercar has become the defining category of global endurance racing, attracting major manufacturers and producing some of the strongest grids seen in decades.
Its arrival gives the Winter Le Mans Series a new headline class while bringing the championship closer to the technical identity of the FIA World Endurance Championship and the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
New Asian Le Mans Cup for LMP3 and GT3
A second championship will also be introduced.
The new Asian Le Mans Cup will be created for LMP3 and GT3 competitors, with two two-hour races scheduled at each event.
The format gives teams in both categories more track time and creates a separate competitive structure alongside the main endurance programme.
It also broadens the entry pathway for drivers and teams who may not yet be ready for the longer four-hour races or the financial demands of the top categories.
Across three race weekends, the Asian Le Mans Cup will add six more races to the winter calendar.
A Different Season, Not a Smaller One
The 2026/27 campaign will look very different from the Asian Le Mans Series familiar to teams and fans in the UAE.
There will be no Dubai Autodrome, no Yas Marina Circuit and no traditional Gulf winter schedule.
Instead, the championship will move through Paul Ricard, Jerez and Portimão with a new name, a new top category and a second racing platform running alongside it.
The location has changed. The ambition has not.
For one season, the Asian Le Mans Series will become a European winter championship and one of the most unusual endurance racing calendars of recent years.
