Hot off winning the Rolex 24 At Daytona this past weekend, Porsche Penske Motorsport intends to enter three cars in this year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans, and exercise its automatic invitation gained by winning the 2024 IMSA WeatherTech GTP Championship.
And there’s a key decision to come: After consolidating its Hypercar/GTP personnel down to eight drivers over the winter, Porsche has left one space open in the planned third car.
Porsche Motorsport Vice President Thomas Laudenbach told reporters in the build-up to last weekend’s race that he’s working on putting together that third car for Le Mans – but has not decided on who would occupy that assumed vacancy in the line-up.
“I can throw drivers out there – you won’t believe it!” he said with a laugh, in response to questions about the subject. “From the standard drivers, we have eight in the program and you need nine for three cars. We’ve got so many drivers contracted, that we definitely don’t have a problem.”
Laudenbach alluded to a short list of drivers that’s already been created internally – but of course, kept his cards close to his chest.
“I’m not confirming any names, but really – without kidding, we don’t have a problem in drivers,” he said. “We’ve got Formula E drivers, some of them already did endurance racing. We’ve got so many other skilled GT drivers. So I think we have enough choices, that if it happens, we will have a third competitive car.”
“We always look at where we can improve, but it’s not, let’s say, a special thing to the third car. I mean, we will look at everything that we can improve, especially for Le Mans. Because Le Mans is important, not necessarily only for the third car.
“Of course, it is easier if you have a two-car team and you do the whole season the same. Obviously, processes are running, you know how to work with it – and that’s a normal thing. So if you add a third car, yes it adds an additional challenge, no question.”
This presumptive driver would almost certainly team up with reigning IMSA GTP Champion Felipe Nasr, and Nick Tandy, the newly crowned “Mr. Grand Slam” himself, alongside the two full-time FIA WEC entries (Julien Andlauer/Michael Christensen/Mathieu Jaminet in the #5, Matt Campbell/Kevin Estre/Laurens Vanthoor in the #6).
One name that has been floated around for a Le Mans cameo ever since he first tested the Porsche 963 last March is four-time Formula 1 World Champion Sebastian Vettel, in a move that would echo Porsche’s hirings of Mark Webber straight out of F1 in 2014, and then building a program around active F1 driver Nico Hülkenberg in 2015.
But in response to a report from German outlet Motorsport Magazin that Porsche was already looking past Vettel, Laudenbach grinned and said, “I don’t know…you’ve got to ring him.”
Beyond Le Mans Laudenbach also reiterated that Porsche remains open-minded about the prospect of drivers from Team Penske’s other racing programmes continuing to get opportunities to race the 963 in select events, ala Josef Newgarden – who won the Rolex 24 last year with Porsche.
“Where we are still free to do it, I would say yes. If you do it is always a different decision. But generally speaking, no, it is not ruled out,” he remarked.
To prepare for Le Mans, Jonathan Diuguid, Porsche Penske Motorsport’s managing director, also mentioned that the chosen third driver selected for the third car at Le Mans could potentially join the WEC effort at Spa-Francorchamps in May.
“It’s something we’ve discussed, but we haven’t made a decision yet because we don’t have to. In the next couple of months we will make firm decisions because we have to do simulator prep,” he said.
The Spa race clashes with the IMSA round at Laguna Seca, meaning Mathieu Jaminet and Matt Campbell will miss out due to their GTP commitments.
However, Diuguid confirmed that Campbell will join the #6 Porsche 963 for both the Qatar 1812 km and the race at Imola, with Jaminet set to share the #5 with new full-season pairing Julien Andlauer and Michael Christensen.
“We’ve got some opportunities to test there (Imola) too as well,” Diuguid added. “Mathieu, who didn’t get to run at Imola last year is going to have an opportunity to test at the track beforehand.
“It’s not just understanding the car, which he understands very well. It’s the engineering crews, it’s the Virtual Safety Car procedures and all the things as well. It’s just a really good opportunity.
“The more time that PPM drivers drive 963s, the better it is for everybody.”
Later in the season, Porsche is set to use three drivers in both Hypercars in Bahrain, and it may also utilise three drivers in the WEC at other select races due to the challenges that hotter climates present for drivers.
“I think CoTA or anything during the summertime is something we’re looking at. The 963 has an air conditioning system which helps, it’s not like going around in your road car but in general the guys have a high fitness level. We will play it by ear.”
