Porsche has announced that it will withdraw from the FIA WEC’s Hypercar class at the end of the 2025 season, after months of speculation about the future of the 963 programme amid financial difficulties for the manufacturer.
In a release today, the German marque confirmed that while the 963 factory programme in the WEC is coming to an end, it will continue on in IMSA GTP. It also reaffirmed its commitment to competing on the world stage in Formula E.
“We very much regret that, due to the current circumstances, we will not be continuing our involvement in the WEC after this season,” says Dr Michael Steiner, Member of the Executive Board for Development at Porsche AG.
Thomas Laudenbach, Vice President Porsche Motorsport, added: “We use motorsport as a development platform for future technology and to illustrate the potential of our sports cars.
“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 to fight for overall victories in the future. That is our tradition and our focus.”
With Penske Racing as service provider, Porsche has raced as a factory with the LMDh-spec 963 in the FIA WEC’s top class since 2023, racking up three overall wins and an FIA WEC Drivers’ World Championship for Kevin Estre, Laurens Vanthoor and Andre Lotterer in 2024.
Heading into the 2025 season finale at Bahrain next month, the final race for Penske’s WEC programme, the #6 crew are still in title contention and can end the era on a high.,
“It’s tough to accept, especially after everything we’ve built and achieved. But that’s life,” Vanthoor said in a post on social media. “Getting to join this program was a dream come true – racing in Hypercar for Porsche and Penske, two iconic brands.
“Even though it’s ending, the memories and success will stay with me forever. I’m grateful for the experience. As for what’s next? To be confirmed. For now, let’s go out with a bang in Bahrain!”
It is not yet clear what this means for Porsche’s involvement in the top class in the future with customer team Proton Competition. Currently, the German privateer operates a single 963, but to continue in 2026, it would need to operate a second car, as per the new two-car rule for Hypercar manufacturers introduced in 2025.
Crucially, should Proton opt to withdraw from Hypercar too, it would prevent Porsche from competing for the overall win at Le Mans next year, even if Porsche Penske Motorsport receives an invitation through winning the GTP title in IMSA at Petit Le Mans this weekend.
The confirmed decision from Porsche also potentially adds to the already very active silly season for drivers in the WEC, with several current and future Hypercar outfits yet to confirm their full 2026 line-ups.
DSC understands that, at least in part, the uncertainty to this point about Porsche’s future in the WEC has been a significant factor as other players hold on to see whether the current Porsche drivers might be on the market.
As for Porsche’s Manthey-run LMGT3 programme in the FIA WEC, it is not believed to be at risk and Porsche can compete in the category without a Hypercar programme, like Ford, Mercedes-AMG, and McLaren have to this point, should there be space on the grid.
In a wider sense, Porsche’s exit is the VAG group’s third withdrawal from Hypercar after both Audi and Lamborghini previously ended their programmes in the world championship. Audi, of course, didn’t ever race due to its shift in focus to Formula One, while Lamborghini moved on from its SC63 programme in WEC after one season with a single car in 2024 once the two-car rule was introduced.
