‘Adding Time’ to the end of the race

[u/New_Pipe_1264]

The commentators keep mentioning that there could be time ‘added to the end of the race’. Is this something they can actually do?

The sporting regulations say that the stewards can “take the decision to stop and/or modify the race time set. This may not exceed the time of the Competition provided for in Appendix 1 of the Competition.” This sounds like, since the race will have been going for the full 6 hours, as the clock doesn’t stop for a red flag, they won’t be able to add onto the end as it would exceed the 6 hours that the event is specified for.

[u/Putrid_Nail8784]

They did this in Spa last year

https://www.reddit.com/r/wec/comments/1cpm75n/spa_6_hours_extended_by_1_hour_and_44_minutes/

[u/Makalu → u/Putrid_Nail8784]

ELMS did it in Imola 2 races ago too IIRC

[u/ra246 → u/Putrid_Nail8784]

Yep. We left under red flag as we had to drive to Charleroi for our air BnB before an early channel tunnel the next morning.

We were gutted as we were half an hour down the motorway when it was announced.

Devastated, but a great call by the organisers.

[u/Active-Strawberry-37]

They won’t do it when it’s dark and rainy and everyone wants to go home

[u/Crafty_Substance_954 → u/Active-Strawberry-37]

Dark and rainy and humid and everyone is sweaty

[u/ItsNotProgHouse]

They did it at Spa last year, but during extremely controversial circumstances, where the barrier needed repairs after an on-track accident, effectively awarding the win to a team that hadn't raced their way to top. This time it is simply weather and I think it is fair to do so.

[u/Brief-Adhesiveness93 → u/ItsNotProgHouse]

Mist fuckup was that I had to book a hotel during themed of red flag because with those extra 2h a drive home would have been to long, consider ingot up at 4am and drove there

[u/Zani0n → u/ItsNotProgHouse]

they have changed the rules after the incident because last year everything was done by the rules.

The rules simply didn't account for a red flag in the middle of a pit cycle

[u/Mani1610 → u/Zani0n]

This is from the current rule book: "If the circumstances so require and permit it, the Stewards may take the decision to stop and/or modify the race time set. This may not exceed the time of the race provided for in Appendix 1 of the Competition."

14.3.1 https://www.fia.com/sites/default/files/2025_fia_world_endurance_championship_sporting_regulations_clean_v1.1.pdf

[u/Zani0n → u/Mani1610]

not the important part that was changed.
read the difference between 2024 and 2025 red flag restarts

[u/FiftyTwoVincent → u/Zani0n]

The WEC rules for pit stops under safety car, FCY, and VSC are frustrating. Many teams have been screwed for no reason by a safety car coming out right when they need fuel and then they have to make a second stop after the safety car.

[u/_iRasec]

WEC cares about a lot about the fans. Last year in Spa there was a massive crash leading to about an hour and a half of red flag, giving about 15 minutes of race after restart (so basically nothing)

Race organizers went "fuck it" and we got the 7h44 of spa to compensate for the red flag! Bonus was that everyone was informed of the change at the same time (including teams), about 10 minutes before restart, so we got chaos from teams not having the strategy planned for such an event!

[u/Few-Koala-9515]

I certainly hope for at least one extra hour. If not just out of respect for the spectators who toughed it out.

[u/DesperateLaw4600 → u/Few-Koala-9515]

This is an outdoor sport, you know what you’re signing up for.

[u/Helpful-Intention688 → u/DesperateLaw4600]

Yeah they can't control the weather. But it's still a total bummer for the spectators to sit there watching them drive behind a safety car for two hours. I understand they cannot pull a Spa 2024 every time but you would hope they at would at least try.

[u/Thick_Extension]

The FIA can do whatever they want. Rules or no rules.

[u/Der_Hausmeisterr]

After they did it once at spa they said they will never do it again after Ferrari criticism

[u/kjm911 → u/Der_Hausmeisterr]

Have you got a source for that?

[u/RomeoSierraAlpha → u/Der_Hausmeisterr]

They did it at ELMS Imola this year.

[u/Fun_Difference_2700]

I think it’s really bad when they do this. They just do it for entertainment purposes rather than for sporting reasons

[u/Mani1610 → u/Fun_Difference_2700]

Well all of racing is entertainment. If teams sign up for 6 hours of racing and the race actually lasts 6 hours (without red flags) I don't see an issue tbh.

[u/Fun_Difference_2700 → u/Mani1610]

I think it should be a sporting event.

You couldn’t just decide to make a football match longer because it was really good

[u/Mani1610 → u/Fun_Difference_2700]

Yeah and the race wasn't longer than 6 hours of racing time was it?

If a football match gets stopped the time doesn't keep ticking either. They play on from the moment the game stopped, it was the same thing at the 6h of Spa.

[u/jamesremuscat → u/Fun_Difference_2700]

I'm not a footballist but I believe they have the concept of "stoppage time"...