Porsche AG has revealed that the factory-backed Porsche Penske Motorsport team will end its participation in the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) at the end of the current season, citing a “comprehensive realignment” of its racing programmes. Porsche won the WEC drivers’ championship last year but has failed to add to its record of 19 overall wins at the 24 Hours of Le Mans since returning to the top class in 2023 with the 963 LMDh car.
Porsche will continue with its 963 Hypercar in the North American IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, and with its 99X Electric in the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship. But falling electric vehicle sales, falling demand in China and the impact of US tariffs, all of which have affected revenues, are believed to have contributed to this change in strategy.
Dr. Michael Steiner, Member of the Board of Management for Development at Porsche AG, explained his decision: “We deeply regret that, due to the current circumstances, we will not continue our involvement in the WEC beyond this season.”
Porsche recently won a WEC round at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin and remains in the race to retain the Drivers’ Championship title in the Bahrain final. The decision to withdraw from the global series will significantly reduce the chances of further success in the top class at Le Mans, although customer team Proton Competition could continue to race its 963 in the WEC. Should the PPM factory team claim the 2025 IMSA GTP title at Petit Le Mans later this month, it would gain automatic entry to Le Mans in 2026.
“We use motorsport as a development platform for future technology and to illustrate the potential of our sports cars,” says Thomas Laudenbach, Vice President Porsche Motorsport. “With the Porsche 963 in the North American IMSA series and the Porsche 99X Electric in the Formula E World Championship, we want to continue fighting for overall victories in the future. That is our tradition and our focus.”
Porsche’s departure is a blow to the WEC, but it will be softened by factory teams from Genesis, McLaren and Ford poised to join the ranks in the coming years.
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