Silverstone CEO Stuart Pringle wants the British circuit to establish itself as the FIA World Endurance Championship’s largest event behind the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The WEC will return to Silverstone in April 2027 under a new four-year agreement between the circuit and Le Mans Endurance Management. The deal will keep the 6 Hours of Silverstone on the calendar until at least 2030.
Silverstone previously held a regular place on the championship schedule before the COVID-19 pandemic. However, Pringle has already started planning beyond the initial agreement as the circuit aims to attract its large Formula 1 audience to endurance racing.
Silverstone approaches WEC return as long-term partnership
The WEC included Silverstone on its 2027 calendar when organisers revealed the schedule during the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Pringle believes both parties can use the renewed partnership to strengthen the championship’s presence in the United Kingdom. Moreover, he wants Silverstone to develop an event that adds significant value to the WEC calendar.
“This is a genuine partnership with WEC,” he said, as reported by Sportscar365. “We’re very much in this together. They really want to be at Silverstone. They consider it to add value to the calendar and I’m determined that we don’t let them down and we give them an event.
“Nothing’s going to rival [Le Mans], but I see no reason why we can’t quickly be the next biggest race on the calendar.”
The four-year agreement provides Silverstone with an opportunity to build attendance gradually. Nevertheless, Pringle expects strong demand when the championship returns in 2027.
Pringle expects pent-up demand for endurance racing
Silverstone last hosted the WEC before the pandemic interrupted the championship’s established calendar. Since then, the Hypercar category has attracted several major manufacturers and helped increase international interest in endurance racing. Therefore, Pringle expects fans to respond positively when the championship returns to Britain.
However, Silverstone must also introduce endurance racing to spectators who primarily follow Formula 1.
“I anticipate that there’ll be a really strong first year, because I think there’s a pent-up demand for this, and I think there’s an angle to get people excited about it.
“Our challenge is to explain to people who have become fans of Formula 1 that actually this is every bit as good, and unpack it for them and explain how this is an incredible game of chess which plays out over six hours, and tactically it’s every bit as enthralling.”
Silverstone can draw on its Formula 1 audience, but the circuit must communicate the different strategic elements that shape a six-hour endurance race. That approach will form an important part of the event’s promotion as organisers aim to turn interest in the WEC’s manufacturer-led Hypercar era into ticket sales.
Silverstone targets six-figure weekend attendance
To become the WEC’s second-largest event, Silverstone would need to challenge the attendance recorded by the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps. Spa welcomed 101,606 spectators across three days earlier in 2026. That figure placed the Belgian event comfortably behind Le Mans but established a significant benchmark for the rest of the championship.
Pringle believes Silverstone can attract more than 100,000 spectators across a WEC weekend during the initial four-year agreement.
“I think that that is absolutely achievable over the weekend at Silverstone. I think we can get to six figures over the weekend in this contract, yes.”
The circuit already possesses the infrastructure to manage large crowds through its annual Formula 1 meeting. However, Silverstone must translate that operational capability into sustained interest in sports car racing.
Aston Martin and McLaren strengthen British interest
British manufacturer involvement played an important role in Silverstone’s decision to bring the WEC back to the circuit. Aston Martin competes in the Hypercar category with the Valkyrie, while McLaren will join the championship’s top class. Their presence gives British spectators prominent home manufacturers to support.
Pringle contrasted that situation with Silverstone’s challenge when promoting championships that lack leading British competitors.
“You need British brands,” he stated. “The best example I can give you of that is the challenges we have trying to promote MotoGP, where there are no British manufacturers, no British teams and no British riders in the premier class. And it’s really difficult.
“If you contrast that with Formula 1, where in the opening race at Melbourne, this year’s championship, there are only three people in the top eight that weren’t British.
“So, absolutely having Aston Martin and McLaren in this championship had a direct material impact in our decision-making.
“It gives us confidence that we can build a crowd because they are huge brands and they’re willing to work with us and support us. Silverstone’s a big brand, but they are more emotional.”
Aston Martin and McLaren can provide strong national storylines for the revived event. Furthermore, both brands carry recognition beyond dedicated endurance racing audiences. Their participation could therefore help Silverstone attract established motorsport supporters who have not previously followed the WEC closely.
Successful ELMS meeting supports WEC return
The 2025 European Le Mans Series round also demonstrated the level of interest in sports car racing at Silverstone. Organisers reported a weekend attendance of 110,000 spectators. The meeting allowed Le Mans Endurance Management personnel to assess the audience, racing and organisational structure at the circuit.
Pringle believes the event showed both the demand for endurance racing and Silverstone’s ability to stage meetings across every level of motorsport.
“I think there’s people involved in that organization [LMEM] who weren’t around when WEC was there before, so for them to turn up and see that cracking racing, and to see the latent interest in sports car racing, was important,” said Pringle.
“Also, working with us and seeing that we know what we’re doing, we’re a straightforward professional bunch of people who put on races, week in, week out, from really big ones to the clubbies that are on our stock-in-trade week in, allowing the ecosystem of British motorsport access to the premier circuit.”
The ELMS meeting gave Silverstone an opportunity to rebuild its connection with international endurance competition before the WEC’s return. However, the circuit does not plan to replace the European championship event with its new world championship round.
Silverstone plans separate futures for WEC and ELMS
Pringle wants Silverstone to retain the ELMS as a standalone event alongside the 6 Hours of Silverstone. The two championships occupy different levels of the endurance racing structure. However, they can support each other by encouraging spectators to attend both meetings.
“ELMS is a really important meeting,” he stated. “It’s a European championship. It’s very quick, it’s very competitive, and it has its place.
“I hope the largest crowd comes to WEC because that’s the world championship, but I hope people come to WEC in April and go, ‘That’s really good, let’s go again in September and see the ELMS’.
He concluded, “I see no reason why people wouldn’t come [to both]. I want them both, and I want them both to be successful meetings.”
The WEC’s April date and the ELMS meeting’s expected September slot would allow Silverstone to promote two separate endurance events during the season.
The WEC can attract attention through its Hypercar manufacturers and world championship status, while the ELMS can provide another opportunity to watch competitive prototype and GT racing later in the year.
Silverstone looks beyond initial four-year WEC agreement
The 2027 event will begin Silverstone’s first sustained WEC programme since the circuit left the calendar following the pandemic. Although the new agreement guarantees four editions, Pringle has already considered the circuit’s position beyond 2030. Strong attendance and successful cooperation with LMEM could provide the foundation for a much longer relationship.
Silverstone must now promote the strategic appeal of endurance racing to its Formula 1-derived audience while using Aston Martin and McLaren to build strong British interest.
If the circuit reaches its six-figure attendance target, it could quickly challenge Spa as the championship’s leading event behind Le Mans and strengthen Britain’s place within the WEC’s expanding Hypercar era.
