As Porsche Penske Motorsport bids a fond farewell to the FIA World Endurance Championship, we look back on three seasons of thrilling competition.
After 22 races at 11 circuits and with 78,289 racing kilometres complete, Porsche Penske Motorsport’s time in the WEC has come to an end.
The factory Porsche 963’s record as the most successful LMDh car in the Hypercar field includes three wins, 15 podiums, three pole positions, and two fastest race laps.
Last year was its most successful campaign, with the #6 trio of Kévin Estre, André Lotterer and Laurens Vanthoor clinching the Drivers’ Championship, while Porsche took runner-up honours in the manufacturers’ standings.
As this chapter comes to a close, we reflect on the rollercoaster of ups and downs over the past three seasons.
March 17 2023: The Porsche 963 makes its WEC race debut
After more than 30,000 test kilometres and the first IMSA race outings, the Porsche 963 made its FIA WEC debut in the 1000 Miles of Sebring.
Porsche announced its return to WEC in December 2020, with the Penske partnership revealed the following year. After a highly-anticipated roll-out in January 2022, the Porsche 963 finally made its WEC debut in March 2023.
Running alongside IMSA in a double-header weekend at Sebring International Raceway, the two Porsche Penske Motorsport cars finished fifth and sixth.
Lining up sixth and seventh, with the #6 car shared by Kévin Estre, André Lotterer and Laurens Vanthoor ahead, the order was reversed in the final result, with the #5 car of Dane Cameron, Michael Christensen and Frédéric Makowiecki crossing the line in front.
Just a month later, the IMSA team notched up its first win for the 963 in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship in Long Beach.
April 16 2023: First WEC podium for the Porsche 963
In just its second WEC outing, the 6 Hours of Portimão, the Porsche 963 achieved its first podium result.
Starting the race in fifth place, Estre, Lotterer, and Vanthoor charged to third place following a flawless performance by the entire team.
In the first few metres, Vanthoor overtook one of the two Ferraris, though he later had to relinquish his fourth place. A strategic gamble after the first stint, opting against changing the tyres during a refuelling stop, gave them a good 10 seconds, which put them in third place.
The race ended in dramatic fashion, after a safety car at the beginning of the final hour. For Lotterer, the timing could not have been worse: The #6 car, running third, was due a pit stop.
Luckily, upon the restart, the #51 Ferrari directly behind him also had to pit and Lotterer managed to defend his position. With only a few laps to go, another refuelling stop added extra suspense: At the previous pit stop, not enough fuel had been pumped into the car due to a faulty sensor.
However, the advantage over the now fourth-placed Cadillac was enough for the Porsche to cross the finish line third.
This stellar result was followed by a second podium at the penultimate round of the season, the 6 Hours of Fuji, with another third place finish for the #6 car.
March 1/2 2024: First WEC pole and victory for the Porsche 963
The second season in the WEC for the Porsche 963 kicked off in brilliant fashion, with both the first pole position and victory for the Hypercar, at the Qatar 1812km.
A rapid lap from Campbell secured pole for the #5 car with a time of 1m39.347s - a “perfect start to the new season,” according to Thomas Laudenbach, Vice President Porsche Motorsport, with the sister #6 car starting fifth.
In the race, though, it was the turn of the #6 car to shine, with Estre, Lotterer and Vanthoor leading from 90 minutes into the race until the chequered flag, winning by over 30 seconds as the Porsche 963 proved the car to beat.
The customer Porsche 963 fielded by Hertz Team JOTA was second, with Will Stevens, Callum Ilott and Norman Nato at the wheel, while the #5 factory car, shared by Campbell, Christensen and Makowiecki, made an impressive comeback after two unexpected pitstops due to tyre damage to finish third.
“We worked extremely hard and were rewarded in the best possible way. This success is difficult to put into words,” explains Laudenbach.
“Everyone involved did an immaculate job. The team and the drivers gave a commanding performance. Congratulations as well to the entire team at home in Weissach. Nobody could have expected a triple success for Porsche.”
June 13 2024: Kévin Estre takes pole position at Le Mans
Kévin Estre turned a flawless flying lap in the #6 Porsche Penske Motorsport car during qualifying for the 2024 24 Hours of Le Mans to take pole position.
In the lap of the season, Estre put in a time of 3m24.634s to clinch Porsche its 19th pole position at the iconic French endurance race.
The #6 car was sat in fifth place in the Hyperpole session until the very end, when Estre delivered a sensational final lap to top the times ahead of the two Cadillacs.
Estre said it was an “indescribable feeling to be on pole at Le Mans,” with Director, Factory Racing LMDh Urs Kuratle branding it “unreal.”
Though it ultimately didn’t convert to a win, with the #6 car finishing fourth as the best-placed 963, it was a memorable moment in the team’s journey.
November 2 2024: Championship glory in the WEC
It was the dream end to a brilliant season, with Estre, Lotterer, and Vanthoor securing the WEC Drivers’ Championship at the season finale in Bahrain.
The #6 drivers emerged victorious after a stunning season featuring two wins and a further three podiums, beating their closest rivals by 35 points after finishing the season finale race in 11th.
The #6 car led from the off, putting on a dominant display from the very first round in Qatar and leading the standings for the entire season.
The #5 car of Campbell, Christensen and Makowiecki took their fourth podium of the season in the 8 Hours of Bahrain, finishing third to clinch fifth in the standings.
A stunning effort from the whole team also meant Porsche finished second in the manufacturers’ championship behind Toyota, with two wins, nine podiums and three pole positions across the two factory Porsche 963.
“We had a mega season and won a world championship title in the second year with the Porsche 963,” said a delighted Laudenbach.
“Compared to 2023, we made significant improvements in all areas – that’s fantastic! I’d like to extend my biggest compliments to everyone involved. Still, it hurts to narrowly miss out on the manufacturers’ championship.
“Anyone who comes so close to winning that title wants to claim it in the end. Unfortunately, that’s how it goes sometimes in motor racing. But at the end of the day, our joy and pride in what we’ve achieved outweighs everything else.”
June 14/15 2025: Second place at Le Mans
Just 14 seconds separated Estre, Campbell and Vanthoor from victory at the 2025 24 Hours of Le Mans.
After a thrilling battle for glory, the #6 trio fought the whole race to climb from the back of the grid to finish in the runner-up spot.
The trio qualified fourth, but the car was disqualified for being below the minimum weight, dropping it to the back of the Hypercar pack for the race.
On the first lap, Estre overtook seven of his rivals, and after around two hours, the Porsche 963 had established itself in the leading group.
After 24 intense hours and 387 laps of racing, just 14.084 seconds separated the team from the 20th overall triumph for Porsche.
The #5 car of Julien Andlauer, Michael Christensen and Mathieu Jaminet finished seventh, with the sister #4 shared by Felipe Nasr, Nick Tandy and Pascal Wehrlein in ninth overall.
‟Pioneering spirit, courage and sportsmanship are part of Porsche's self-conception. That's why we never gave up and fought with determination right to the end. We did a lot of things right in the final phase. That made it very exciting once again,” summarised Laudenbach.
‟We got the absolute maximum out of our #6 Porsche and certainly have nothing to hide. During the night nobody would have expected us to finish on the podium. We can be very proud of that.
“Of course, we also look back on the result with a teary eye: in the end, we were just 14 seconds short of overall victory. But the joy and the thanks to everyone who was involved outweigh this. Congratulations to our Manthey customer team on their second Le Mans class victory in a row!”
September 7 2025: Winning in Austin
After a tough start to the 2025 season, the team was still chasing a win heading into the final three races of the year.
But all the hard work paid off at Circuit of the Americas, with the #6 car of Campbell, Estre and Vanthoor emerging on top in the Lone Star Le Mans.
Battling through tough weather conditions, the field ran behind the safety car for the first hour of the race, before eventually a red flag was thrown.
Racing resumed 100 minutes after the start, but slippery conditions caused multiple incidents, prompting more safety car running.
The two factory-run Porsche Penske Motorsport hybrid prototypes managed to keep it clean, and after four and a half hours, Estre in the #6 Porsche took the lead and held it to the finish.
This was followed up with another podium finish at Fuji, with the #6 crew once again battling from the back of the pack to finish third.
The pair were in the fight for second until the very final moments, but despite valiant efforts were unable to make up an additional place.
It put them just seven points behind second place in the Drivers' Championship, while Porsche was second in the Manufacturers' standings.
November 8 2025: A fond farewell in Bahrain
As the season drew to a close, the Porsche Penske Motorsport team prepared to say a fond farewell to the World Endurance Championship.
The 8 Hours of Bahrain was a challenging outing, and the factory Porsche 963 crossed the finish line in 13th and 14th.
Estre and Vanthoor, the 2024 drivers’ world champions, shared driving duties with Campbell and finished in front, while the sister car, driven by Andlauer and Jaminet together with Laurin Heinrich, crossed the line in 14th.
‟This was, for the foreseeable future, our final appearance in the World Endurance Championship,” said Jonathan Diuguid, Managing Director Porsche Penske Motorsport.
‟Unfortunately, the top result we had hoped for eluded us. Overall, however, it’s been a fantastic and successful period. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed working with this outstanding group of passionate people.”
There was plenty of reason to celebrate in the LMGT3 category: customer outfit Manthey successfully defended its FIA Endurance Trophy title for the second consecutive year.
The drivers’ crown went to Ryan Hardwick, Richard Lietz and Riccardo Pera.
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