The crucial moments which led to WEC glory for Porsche Penske Motorsport

Kévin Estre, André Lotterer, Laurens Vanthoor were crowned champions at the 8 Hours of Bahrain after a stunning year packed with success, as the sister #5 car shared by Matt Campbell, Michael Christensen, Frédéric Makowiecki took its fourth podium of the season.

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.

Car stats

The title marks Lotterer’s first WEC championship victory since 2012, where he won the overall title. Estre last took a WEC title in 2018-19, winning the WEC GTE title with Porsche, while this is Vanthoor’s first.

With two wins, nine podiums and three pole positions across the two factory Porsche 963, the team also finished as a close runner-up in the FIA WEC’s Manufacturers’ Championship.

Now the championship has reached its conclusion, let’s take a look back at the defining moments of a stellar season for Porsche Penske Motorsport:

Beginning with a bang: Double podium in Qatar

Kicking off the year in the best way possible, the #6 car began the season with an overall victory at the Qatar 1812km.

Lining up fifth, it took just 90 minutes for the #6 to hit the front of the race, from which point it proved unbeatable.

The win put the #6 car immediately at the top of the drivers’ standings - the perfect way to leave the opening round - and gave Porsche the advantage in the manufacturers’ championship.

Taking his first win for Porsche, Lotterer said: “I’ve waited a long time for this. Finally my first victory for Porsche! Today we had three No. 6 drivers on top of the podium. This triumph is thanks to every single person in the team.


“Everyone worked incredibly hard and improved so many things for the new season. It works perfectly. We also experienced some nail-biting moments in the race but we kept out cool and brought home the win. We’d be happy to continue like this.”

It was a clean sweep for the Porsche 963, with Hertz Team JOTA’s #12 car, driven by Will Stevens, Callum Ilott and Norman Nato, in second for the team’s first Hypercar podium, and the #5 Porsche in third.

The #5 car also took Porsche’s first WEC pole since 2017 to open the weekend with a strong statement of intent for the season to come.

Replicating success with another double podium in Imola

After an incredible opening round, both factory Hypercars once again took the podium after enduring wet weather and several fierce battles at the 6 Hours of Imola.

A chaotic start, an immediate safety car, rainfall and a penalty all threw obstacles in the drivers’ paths, but both Porsche Penske Motorsport cars still battled to the end.

The #6 car finished in second place despite the five-second penalty, having lined up fourth on the grid, with Estre close to catching the leader after a stellar battle in the closing stages.

The sister #5 car, driven by Matt Campbell, Michael Christensen and Frédéric Makowiecki, completed the podium after starting fifth.

Leaving round two, the #6 drivers had extended their lead to 16 points over the second-placed #7 Toyota, while the #5 crew were in hot pursuit in third.

Estre said: “Second and third place – what a great weekend for the team. We didn’t expect this result coming into the race. We almost even won. The race itself was crazy: with wet tyres on a drying track, and the first lap back on slicks, that was awful.

“I had a bit more fuel than the Toyota and was therefore able to close the gap, but overtaking wasn’t possible at that stage. The team worked hard to put a competitive car on the track for us and to maximise everything.

“In the dry, we lacked the pace compared to Ferrari and Toyota. But with the right strategy and a clever tyre choice, we did a better job than most of the others. In any case, we are in a much better position than last year!”

Consistency wins titles: #6 car takes third consecutive podium at Spa

The third round and the third consecutive podium for a charging Porsche Penske Motorsport team.

In a far-from-straightforward 6 Hours of Spa, which was extended by almost two hours after a lengthy red flag period, the #6 crew once again stood on the podium, finishing second behind the Hertz Team JOTA #12 pair of Callum Ilott and Will Stevens.

Though Ferrari had looked set to claim victory, the red flag proved crucial, and allowed both Porsche 963 to use clever strategy and mount a stunning comeback to allow JOTA to take its first outright WEC win.

Another second-place finish for the #6 car further helped its championship lead, with 74 points to top the table. This meant a 22 point lead ahead of the #12 Hertz Team Jota, and the 28 points clear of the #7 Toyota.

Vanthoor said after the second-place finish: “This time, we had luck on our side in the midst of difficult conditions. But we also did everything we could to put ourselves in the right place. In terms of the championship, we’re happy to take another second place – being championship leaders feels good.”

The team also inherited pole position from Ferrari, marking Team Penske’s 100th sportscar pole.

“While we’re always looking ahead to the next challenge, we’re proud to earn Team Penske’s 100th sports car pole. Sports car racing is an important part of our team heritage, so this represents a significant milestone for our organisation,” underlined Roger Penske, Founder and Chairman Penske Corporation.

“The success of Porsche Penske Motorsport this season is a reflection of the hard work and commitment by our team members and our partners to build this programme. We appreciate the achievement of winning 100 poles and now we’re focused on reaching our next milestone – earning our 100th win in a sports car competition.”

Another stunning outing in São Paulo

With the 24 Hours of Le Mans complete, teams headed to South America for the 6 Hours of São Paulo.

Though the championship lead had been closed by the #50 Ferrari to just nine points after Le Mans, which that crew won, another brilliant race ensured the #6 crew was fully in control heading into the second stage of the season.

Despite contact with the #51 Ferrari early on, resulting in a puncture for the #6 car and dropping it to 19th, the team quickly mounted a fierce comeback.

Charging back through the field with a valiant effort from the whole team, it made an astonishing recovery to cross the line just over a minute behind the winning #8 Toyota, while the #5 car rounded off the podium in third.

The second-place finish for car #6 extended its lead in the standings to 19 points with just three rounds remaining, setting the title well in its sights.

The brilliant result in Brazil meant Porsche left round five having had two cars on the podium at four of the races so far, and leadings the manufacturers’ championship by four points.

A delighted Thomas Laudenbach, Vice President Porsche Motorsport, said after the race: “This is a mega result for us. Toyota was simply out of reach today, so we’re thrilled with the result. 


“Two cars on the podium earn us a heap of points. We’re currently leading both world championship classifications. Congratulations to our works team and drivers. The spectators were treated to an extremely entertaining race today. The trip to São Paulo was well worth it for us!”

Title within reach after a win in Fuji

The penultimate round of the season, and the title drew ever closer - just a six-hour epic at Fuji and the finale in Bahrain separated the #6 crew from crowning glory.

Determined to succeed, they delivered the best result possible: victory.

Starting fifth, strong performances from all three drivers throughout several safety car periods saw them climb the order, taking control early on, with a stellar move for the lead from Lotterer around the 2h30 mark among the highlights of a fantastic race.

They put on a dominant display to finish the race 14 seconds clear of the #15 BMW in second, marking the #6 car’s fifth podium in seven races, and its second win of the year after the season opener in Qatar. The victory also put Porsche back in control of the constructors’ championship.

Sadly, #5 car was forced to retire after contact from another car

Leaving Japan, the #6 car had one hand on the coveted championship trophy. With a 35-point lead ahead of the #50 Ferrari, just eight hours of racing separated the team from the ultimate success.

After the race, Kuratle asserted that it had been “definitely one of the best races we’ve contested so far with the Porsche 963 – our strategy was perfect and the pit stops were sensational.”

He continued: “Now we’re well and truly back in the race for the world championship title because we extended our points lead in the drivers’ standings and returned to the top spot in the manufacturers’ rankings. What a pity for our number 5 sister car: it was shunted twice and we had to retire it early.”

“I couldn’t be prouder of the entire Porsche Penske Motorsport crew – we had an amazing day here in Fuji. It’s brilliant that our number 6 Porsche managed to win. We’re back on top in both areas of the championship and looking strong going to Bahrain.

“The number 5 crew executed a perfect race until it had another contact with a competitor. But for the number 6 crew to bring home the victory in Japan was an amazing effort.”

Crowning glory: Securing the title in Bahrain

It all came down to the final race: The 8 Hours of Bahrain at Bahrain International Circuit. With a 35-point lead, the #6 crew had all but won the championship, but a nail-biting race still ensued.

Eight hours of fierce battling saw the #6 struggle with low grip in the early stages and it was dropped outside the top 10 in the Turn 1 melee.

But the drivers fought back, giving their all amid the very final moments of the championship. After Vanthoor’s valiant first stint, Estre took over and was able to match the pace of the top six as he went on a charge up the field.

Lotterer was next to drive, quickly embarking on a hot pursuit of the #8 Toyota for seventh place, though his charge was paused due to a full course yellow.

Heading into the final hour, it was running in second, though a stop behind, and exited that stop into sixth.

Though several penalties dropped it to 11th, the result was enough for the #6 car to secure the biggest prize of all: the FIA Hypercar World Endurance Drivers’ Championship title.

An ecstatic Lotterer said: “World champions! What a day. Not the best race but we don’t care, we’re world champions. We had an amazing season, it was so cool to be Laurens and Kevin’s team-mate, working with our engineers and the support of the whole team behind us. We were really focused all the time and it paid off.

“To come here with the points lead, I think Fuji was fundamental for the championship. I think we can all be very proud. It’s my last race with the team and what a way to go as the world champion - I’m very, very happy.”

The #5 car finished second in the race, having been promoted from third thanks to a penalty for the #51 Ferrari.

It had lined up seventh, and despite initially dropping outside the top 10 due to a chaotic start, a brilliant first stint from Campbell saw him charge from 12th to fourth, putting the #5 car right back into winning contention.

Christensen was next in the car, taking third from the #12 Hertz Team JOTA car in a clever move aided by an LMGT3 car at Turn 1. After a tussle which saw the #5 car fall back to fifth, Campbell took the wheel again and reclaimed third, taking second with just over an hour remaining.

Both the race and the manufacturers’ title battle all came down to a final fight against the #8 Toyota, which led from the #5 car. Despite a determined drive from Campbell, the #8 Toyota claimed victory, and Porsche secured second in the manufacturers’ standings.

“We had a mega season and won a world championship title in the second year with the Porsche 963,” said a delighted Thomas Laudenbach, Vice President Porsche Motorsport. “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.”

“Today’s race was sensational,” concluded Jonathan Diuguid, Managing Director Porsche Penske Motorsport. “The fact that our No. 6 drivers won the world championship is an enormous success for the team and marks the first world championship title for Porsche Penske Motorsport. Hopefully, there will be many more to come.”

Race results