Bidding a fond farewell to the departing Porsche Penske Motorsport WEC drivers

With the end of a season comes a change in driver line-ups, as Porsche WEC drivers Lotterer and Makowiecki depart the programme.

Lotterer has been with the team since 2017, when he joined the Porsche LMP1 programme, while Makowiecki has been racing for Porsche since 2014.

As the pair depart for new opportunities, they spoke of their fondest Porsche memories and recalled some of their favourite races.

André Lotterer

Lotterer’s Porsche journey dates back to 2017, when he joined the team’s FIA WEC LMP1 project. Taking seven podiums, he finished fourth in the drivers’ championship, alongside team-mates Nick Tandy and Neel Jani.

After Porsche withdrew from the WEC, Lotterer moved across to the Formula E team, taking a podium in his first race with Porsche in the all-electric championship. The birth of Porsche Penske Motorsport in 2023 saw him return the WEC, and he and his #6 car team-mates now look set to conquer the championship once more.

From racing against Porsche when he was an Audi driver to taking the first WEC win for the Porsche 963 in Qatar, the three-time Le Mans winner’s fond memories stretch all the way back to his childhood.

“I grew up in motorsport, and my dad's team was running Porsche race cars, so you establish a love for the brand,” he says ahead of the season finale in Bahrain. “It's every little kids dream to have a Porsche, but in my position, it was to one day race for Porsche. So when I had the opportunity to join the team in 2017, that was something really big for me.

“I was racing against the team from 2014 to 2016 and it was great battles, but I always was looking over thinking it would be cool to race one day for them, and to proudly carry the name Porsche on your suit, and just to be part of that legacy and making history together.

“My mum was born 15 minutes from Weissach, so I remember driving by as a kid and always looking over at the track. When I joined the team, that was for sure a big moment - my first race was the 6 Hours of Silverstone. We had podiums together, but unfortunately, there were no victories for me.

“There was a tough moment at Le Mans - we were about to win the race, but with two hours to go the engine failed. That was difficult for my side of the garage, but it was also quite a ‘win together, lose together’ moment - we came back to the garage and we all hugged and knew how hard that was, and even though it was a defeat, we all bonded with that.”

Next, his ‘second phase’ with the team came, joining the all-new TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team for its debut season in the championship. A stunning drive saw him finish second at the opening race in Diriyah - something he says was one of his “best memories”. Lotterer went on to take another two podiums over that season and the following, before he departed to rejoin the WEC.

He continues: “Now, this is the third phase of the challenges with the team in the WEC. I took my first victory with Porsche in Qatar this year, so there was a long time waiting for me, and that was very emotional.

“We've had a really nice season this year, very solid with my team-mates, the engineers, the whole crew. This year, every time we come to the track, we create great memories. So yeah, there's been lots of ups and downs and at the moment, a lot of ups.”

Winning the WEC drivers’ title this weekend would be a fairytale ending to Lotterer’s time with Porsche, and would mark his second championship victory - the first having come in 2012 with Audi.

The #6 driver - along with team-mates Kévin Estre and Laurens Vanthoor and holds a 35-point lead in the Hypercar drivers’ standings. The #50 Ferrari AF Corse is second, 10 points behind, with the #7 Toyota in third.

“We still have to achieve it and we stay focused, we keep our head down - the task is always the same, drive as fast as you can with the car, make no mistakes,” says Lotterer. “We know a lot is at stake, but we're in a strong position, so we can afford to maybe take slightly less risk. It's better to stay in the flow and be fully focused with the eyes forward, and we've proven this year that we're good at that.”

Though Lotterer is yet to reveal his plans for the future, ahead of his closing chapter with the team, he issued a heartfelt message to everyone involved in the project:

“Well, a huge thank you, obviously, which is the biggest thing I want to say. A big heart full of thanks to everyone. We all know how much passion we put into this, but it's also a lot of work, dedication and extra hours and going beyond to achieve success.”

He added: “I've established nice relationships with all various departments in the company, and enjoyed working together, and I'll definitely miss that part. I still don't know what I'm going to do in the future, so it’s hopefully not our last relationship in terms of working together. But yeah, a big, big thank you, and see you around.

Frédéric Makowiecki

Makowiecki, like Lotterer, has an illustrious history with Porsche, stretching back over 11 years. Having competed in GT cars with the Weissach marque, he stepped up for the team’s return to the top tier of Hypercar for 2023. His impressive results include two victories each at the 12 Hours of Sebring and Petit Le Mans, and a stunning class victory at the 2022 24 Hours of Le Mans - all at the wheel of the Porsche 911.

But among his fondest memories was his crucial development work on the Porsche 963, helping take the car from concept to a race-winning car.

“My first ever memory is the first kilometre I did for the 963 in Weissach,” he recalls. “When we made the first rollout ever of the car, to see hundreds of people who worked on this project, that this car was born, that this car drove, and that you are responsible and honoured to get the chance to drive this car, to see the eyes of everybody.

“At that time, we were not capable yet to have all the hybrid systems, so we were making only a combustion engine drive off. It was so easy to stall with the car, but the process to restart the car was 15 minutes. Everybody was looking at me and my fingers were trembling because I thought I would stall. Everyone was there and I pulled away and I was looking like a beginner of driving - it was hard!

“Another memory was also the step we made between last year to this year - this year we arrived, we are in the championship, and definitely we felt more ready with more certainty about where to go. 


“You know, a team more united, because sometimes it takes time to work all together to be sure that the people work well together, because we are in a kind of sport where it's not a single person which changes everything, it's everybody all together, where we will create a team. And it's by this where you are capable to achieve crazy stuff.”

Looking back further, Makowiecki also recalls several thrilling victories, defying difficult starts before going on to reach the top step of the podium.

“The first race, in Silverstone in 2014, there was a red flag and we won the race because we did not pit because the radio was poor.

“When we won the Nürburgring 24 Hours, we arrived, we got the puncture in the first lap, and we were 160th. We thought it was over, because the Nürburgring is the kind of place where you need to keep some margin if you want to finish this race. We were flat out every corner, every lap, the four drivers, without any room for margin, and we won the race even though usually there is no chance to win this race by being to the limit the full time.

“I remember very well one of the mega races was Sebring in 2018. This race, with Nick and Patrick we were at the limit every instant of the 12 hours. And it was fantastic, because I think we could not have been, once again, faster throughout the whole race and we won - it was mega.

“The Le Mans GT win in 2022: you arrive, and I was fighting so hard since 2014 to win this race. We were leading several times, we had a chance to win several times, and the trophy went away and you are frustrated. In 2022 I was unhappy about my start, I was unhappy about not doing the race I wanted at the beginning, and then we started to fly from the middle of the race, and we won the race. This kind of stuff, for sure, it's magic.”

On the eve of his final race, Makowiecki paid tribute to two key figures in his journey - Hartmut Kristen and Martijn Meijs, who brought him to Porsche - and thanked the entire team for its hard work.

As the two drivers depart for pastures new, the whole team thanks them for their passion, determination and dedication, and wishes them all the best with their future endeavours.