Porsche Motorsport Vice President Thomas Laudenbach described last weekend’s Le Mans 24 Hours as “different”, in a sit-down with DSC ahead of the race. With Penske Motorsport no longer racing in Hypercar, the brand was represented by just two Manthey-run 911 LMGT3.Rs on the grid; its lowest car count in the event since the 1950s.
“We stepped out of Hypercar, which is well known, and the fact that we only have two cars is due to the fact that the WEC is on a real high,” he admitted. “There are no more spots left. That’s a good sign, as we see a huge variety of manufacturers in Hypercar and LMGT3.”
Is it enough of a “good sign” though, for Porsche to find a way back to Hypercar in the coming years and fight for its 20th overall Le Mans win once again?
“If you ask me if we will be racing in WEC next year? No. We had a business decision,” Laudenbach responded when asked what the short-term future for the 963 programme, which is still active in IMSA GTP, looks like.
“The only comment I can make is we had a decision to stop the WEC programme after 2025, and this decision is in place, and there is no decision to come back, so far.”
As it stands, Porsche is committed to competing in IMSA GTP as a factory with Porsche Penske Motorsport through the end of the 2027 season. What happens beyond that is not yet known.
What we do know is that Porsche is taking a good, hard look at the 2030 regulation set, which was presented publicly by the ACO, FIA and IMSA last week before the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
“It was a tough decision, not an easy one, keeping in mind certain circumstances (to withdraw from the WEC’s Hypercar class),” he explained. “Now we look to the future and see if this (the economic difficulties the brand faces) changes, and for sure we will discuss it.
“We are very interested in where the rules go,” he continued. “We gave feedback to the ACO and FIA that we appreciate the general direction, mainly talking about having only one set of technical framework. There will not be LMH and LMDh in the future; it’s what we wanted. I want to be positive about that.
“The real work comes now. We’re in contact with the ACO and FIA; we are happy to contribute, which we will do, and we have been doing. Now the job for me in the next weeks is to get the details right because there’s a lot to be defined. But the general direction is very good, and we focus on the future, and that’s why we are engaged and contributing to what we hope is the right set of rules.”
Porsche was a key voice in the push towards a single platform, and a set of rules that keeps costs under control. Thus, last week’s conference was met with positivity from within the brand. But it’s too early, Laudenbach said, to declare whether or not the 2030 regulations fully hit the mark and open the door for a return of the German brand, as many finer details still need to be worked out.
“I think (Carryover of current concepts/cars to the new era) is a good option,” he added. “But from what I know, due to new safety standards you have to rework the monocoque. If it is possible for a big carryover, yes, that’s a good option. And if we decide on a new programme, we will have to make up our minds on if we will rework the car. By then it will be seven or eight years old.
“I can only speak for Porsche. If we go somewhere, we want to be in a position to win, not to fill the grid. Once we have the final rules and the detailed boundary conditions, we will answer that question. What we know now is there will be things you can take over, maybe you make small changes, but you will not start with a white sheet of paper. Why put too much effort into the engine when it’s restricted and limited?
“All these decisions… Right now we have an idea, but these decisions on powertrain, hybrid, monocoque, we have to make when we have the detailed rules. It’s too early to create an opinion.”
Image courtesy of DPPI
