The head of the world sports car series has "angrily criticized" F1 CEO Bernie Ecclestone "for in his view deliberately scheduling a Formula One race to clash with next year’s Le Mans 24 Hours," according to Daniel Johnson of the London TELEGRAPH. World Endurance Championship CEO Gerard Neveu described the plan as a “clear attack” on his series by Ecclestone. The 2016 Le Mans 24 Hours will be held on the same day as the inaugural Azerbaijan Grand Prix in Baku, on June 19. The clash means that F1 drivers such as Nico Hülkenberg, who won this year’s race, "will not be able to compete in the famous endurance race." Neveu said, "It's a clear attack on us and on this race. Ecclestone never does anything nonchalantly." Neveu "also condemned the FIA, motorsport’s governing body, for failing to protect Le Mans from a conflict of dates." He said, "The FIA should have protected us better." There has been an unofficial agreement in recent years "that the FIA would make sure Le Mans is not on the same weekend as an F1 race" (TELEGRAPH, 10/14).
