‘It’s bad news for WEC’

Several manufacturers have shared their views on Porsche’s decision to withdraw from the World Endurance Championship’s Hypercar class after the 2025 season.

The German manufacturer, which holds the record for the most outright victories at the Le Mans 24 Hours, is scaling back its programme with the 963 LMDh after just three seasons in the WEC.

The decision was largely driven by financial pressures, with weakening sales in China and slower EV adoption contributing to the company’s  $1.1bn loss in Q3 this year.

Porsche is also understood to have grown frustrated with the WEC’s Balance of Performance process and has been among the loudest advocates of merging LMH and LMDh into a single unified ruleset.

The Volkswagen Group brand has left the door open for a return to the WEC’s top class in the future, while the 963 programme will also continue as planned in IMSA next year.

Ferrari technical director Ferdinando Cannizzo admitted that Porsche’s departure is a setback for the WEC, but hopes its long-time rival — both in the automotive and motorsport world — will rejoin the category in the coming years.

“This is not good news for the championship, for the sport, for us,” he said in Bahrain. “It’s clear that we respect the decision of our competitor and our dream is to see Porsche again in the next [few] years. 

“Porsche and Ferrari are the two manufacturers with a big tradition in endurance racing. For all the manufacturers in the paddock, the dream is to see Porsche again in the future.”

Alpine team principal Philippe Sinault echoed Cannizzo’s sentiment, but noted that Porsche’s decision highlighted the difficulties car manufacturers are facing in the current landscape.

“It’s bad news, for sure. A brand like Porsche is part of the endurance world,” Sinault told Motorsport.com.

“Alpine wants a fight. During the history of Alpine, there was always a fight with Porsche in rally and endurance. When we received the info, we were so sad. 

“But it’s part of our new world, especially with the automotive world. Sometimes they decide to stop it.”

Toyota

The rivalry between Porsche, Toyota and Audi was the highlight of the LMP1 era, with the three manufacturers dominating the category in the mid-2010s. 

Porsche’s return to the WEC’s top class following the formation of the Hypercar category reignited its rivalry with Toyota, with the two brands splitting the drivers’ and manufacturers’ titles in 2024.

Asked about Porsche’s exit from the WEC, Toyota Gazoo Racing vice president Kazuki Nakajima told Motorsport.com: “It’s sad news, but at the same time we’ve been lucky to compete together against such a big brand in the WEC in the last three years. It was an honour for us.”

#5 Porsche Penske Motorsport Porsche 963: Julien Andlauer, Michael Christensen

Photo by: FIAWEC — DPPI

Cadillac

Apart from running the factory team in partnership with Penske, Porsche has also supplied customer cars to other outfits in IMSA and the WEC.

The most successful Porsche privateer so far has been Jota, which raced the 963 in Hypercar in both 2023 and ‘24 before forging a factory alliance with Cadillac this year. 

Jota team principal Dieter Gass described Porsche’s decision to curtail its Hypercar programme as a “shame” for the WEC.

“Of course, Porsche is part of endurance racing. They have been around for so long,” Gass, who previously headed Audi’s motorsport programme, told Motorsport.com.

“It is also a name that is important for the market and the series. That’s why it’s a shame for the series. 

“Personally, I am also sorry that project manager Urs Kuratle, with whom I had a lot to do over the past few years, will no longer be here in the championship. He is also quite simple. He is a racer with whom you can really work well together.”

BMW

Porsche is the second German marque to pull the plug on a Hypercar programme, with sister brand Audi having cancelled its LMDh project while it was still in development stages in 2022.

Porsche’s exit leaves BMW as the only active German manufacturer in WEC next year.

“I’m sad, to be honest,” Roos told Motorsport.com. “I’m sad to have Porsche leaving because Porsche is always a very nice competitor to compete against.  

“It’s a bit sad also, especially for us as a German manufacturer, because we are now the only German manufacturer left in Hypercar racing. Therefore, we hope that maybe they will come back. 

“It would be nice to compete against them [again]. They have a long history and tradition in endurance racing, sports car racing. They still have the most overall victories in Le Mans. So, in the end, it’s sad to see them leaving.

“But on the other hand, when you see the difficulties of the automotive industry at the moment, some things are also understandable, and we have to also be reasonable.”

Urs Kuratle, Head of LMDH Porsche Motorsport, Roger Penske, Team Penske

Photo by: Andreas Beil

Porsche had partnered with Team Penske for its high-profile return to top-level prototype racing in both the WEC and IMSA’s GTP class.

Through this collaboration, Roger Penske had been targeting an outright victory at the Le Mans 24 Hours – the last major win missing from the American’s trophy cabinet.

WRT team principal Vincent Vosse, whose squad switched to BMW following Audi’s aborted LMDh project, said he is disappointed to lose both Porsche and Penske from the championship. 

“We have to stay positive, there are enough manufacturers in the championship, but there is only one Porsche,” Vosse told Motorsport.com.

“Porsche is probably the manufacturer who has been the most involved in the history of endurance. And losing a team like Penske, which has been for me the benchmark since the last two years, [is sad].  

“I’m a little bit sad for Roger Penske not to be able to fight for what he was looking for years – fighting for a win at Le Mans. I have a lot of respect for him, for what he does, for his company. 

“And of course, it’s not good news that Porsche is leaving. It’s not about the number of cars, it’s about who is leaving: team and manufacturer.”

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— The Motorsport.com Team