The FIA World Endurance Championship makes its much awaited return in February, with the Qatar 1812km kicking off the eight-round season in style.
Porsche Penske Motorsport will return to the Middle East as reigning champions and with two new driver line-ups for the opening round on February 28.
The team claimed the 2024 drivers’ title at the final round in Bahrain in November and will be gunning for a second consecutive title, while also aiming to claim the manufacturers’ championship.
Two drivers will regularly pilot each Porsche Penske Motorsport car in the WEC, with Julien Andlauer joining Michael Christensen in the #5 Porsche 963. The #6 sister car will be helmed predominantly by Kévin Estre and Laurens Vanthoor.
A third driver will be called on for each car for the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the season's highlight races, with the #5 cockpit earmarked for Mathieu Jaminet and Matt Campbell driving the #6 car.
The season kicks off in Qatar for the championship’s second visit to Lusail International Circuit, which opened in 2004. Contested over a maximum of ten hours, the Qatar 1812km refers to the Qatar National Day on December 18.
Last year’s race marked the first WEC victory for the Porsche 963, with Porsche sweeping the podium and taking a commanding overall victory with the #6 car. Read the full race report here.
From there, the championship heads to Italy and Belgium before the iconic 24 Hours of Le Mans in June.
The second half of the season takes the WEC to the United States, Brazil and Japan, before returning to the Middle East for the season finale in Bahrain in November.
Introducing the factory drivers
#5 Julien Andlauer, Michael Christensen and Mathieu Jaminet
Christensen remains in the #5 Porsche 963 for 2025, having shared the car with Frédéric Makowiecki and Matt Campbell last season.
One of Porsche’s first Hypercar drivers, Christensen, has been a factory driver since 2014. He is a 24 Hours of Le Mans winner, taking victory in the GTE Pro class in 2018, before returning to the podium in 2021.
Andlauer is the latest addition to the Porsche factory team, joining the squad after spending a year with Proton Competition in the WEC’s Hypercar category.
He is a long-time member of the family, dating back to his first full-time season in Porsche Carrera Cup racing in 2017, before being named Porsche Junior in 2018. Andlauer graduated to the Hypercar class in 2024 and is eager to tackle the championship in a factory drive in 2025.
Read our full interview with Andlauer
Jaminet races full-time in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, but will join the #5 crew for selected rounds.
This year he continues his IMSA tenure with the team, having finished second in the drivers’ standings in 2024 with Nick Tandy. The pair took five podiums and helped Porsche to the manufacturers’ title.
#6 Kévin Estre, Laurens Vanthoor and Matt Campbell
Estre and Vanthoor remain in the #6 which they took to the WEC title last season, with a stellar campaign securing the pair glory alongside former team-mate André Lotterer.
A Porsche driver since 2016, Estre was a key part of the 2018 Le Mans class-winning Porsche GT Team alongside Christensen and Vanthoor. He took victory at the 2024 WEC season-opener in Qatar, finishing second the following round at Imola and Spa.
Read our full interview with Estre
Vanthoor’s latest success came in January at the 2025 24 Hours of Daytona, securing victory alongside Felipe Nasr and Nick Tandy. He has been a Porsche driver since 2016 and previously competed in IMSA.
Campbell raced in the WEC for 2024 while also making three IMSA appearances at Daytona, Sebring and Petit Le Mans, finishing on the podium at all three races. This year, he runs a full IMSA campaign alongside Jaminet.
Customer racing
Proton Competition will field the sole Porsche 963 in 2025 after the manufacturer bid a fond farewell to the Hertz Team JOTA squad, which has teamed up with Cadillac.
Neel Jani, who won the 2016 WEC championship and 24 Hours of Le Mans with Porsche, remains in the cockpit this season, and will be joined by Nicolas Pino and Nicolás Varrone.
Manthey Racing returns for 2025 after a stellar season where they won both the FIA Endurance Trophy for LMGT3 Drivers with the #92 PureRxcing car, and took a 1-2 in the FIA Endurance Trophy for LMGT3 Teams.
Having run two Porsche 911 GT3 R in 2024, the Meuspath-based team adopts two brand-new looks for this season, with the Iron Dames and 1st Phorm.
The all-female #85 Porsche will be driven by Michelle Gatting, Célia Martin and Rahel Frey. The outfit has rejoined forces with Porsche, having finished second in the FIA Endurance Trophy for LMGTE AM Teams in 2023 with the team.
Ryan Hardwick, Richard Lietz and Riccardo Pera will form the crew of the Manthey 1st Phorm #92 car.
While Lietz competed with the team last year and was part of the Le Mans winning trio, Hardwick and Pera will make their debut for the team. Hardwick was part of Proton Competition’s line-up last season, while Pera drove a Ferrari in the European Le Mans Series.
Full WEC calendar
| Round | Race | Circuit | Location | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prologue | - | Lusail International Circuit | Lusail, Qatar | February 21-22 |
| 1 | Qatar 1812 km | Lusail International Circuit | Lusail, Qatar | February 28 |
| 2 | 6 Hours of Imola | Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari | Imola, Italy | April 20 |
| 3 | 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps | Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps | Spa, Belgium | May 10 |
| 4 | 24 Hours of Le Mans | Circuit de la Sarthe | Le Mans, France | June 14-15 |
| 5 | 6 Hours of São Paulo | Autódromo José Carlos Pace | São Paulo, Brazil | July 13 |
| 6 | Lone Star Le Mans | Circuit of the Americas | Austin, Texas | September 7 |
| 7 | 6 Hours of Fuji | Fuji Speedway | Oyama, Japan | September 28 |
| 8 | 8 Hours of Bahrain | Bahrain International Circuit | Sakhir, Bahrain | November 8 |
Keep up to date with all the latest news and delve into our exclusive insights on the Porsche Motorsport Hub’s WEC page
