Porsche stalwart Michael Christensen has been a factory driver for more than a decade. But there’s more to the Dane than his driving.
Michael Christensen is now in his 11th season with Porsche, but his association with the brand runs back even further: To 2012, when he was selected as a Porsche Junior. Over the following 13 years, he has racked up numerous wins and podiums, including class victories at the 12 Hours of Sebring, the 24 Hours of Daytona, and his most prized: the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Having raced the Porsche 911 in the FIA World Endurance Championship, IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup, Intercontinental GT Challenge and more, Christensen joined the Porsche Penske Motorsport Hypercar lineup in 2023 for its maiden campaign.
Since then, the 34-year-old has claimed four podiums and been part of the team effort which saw Porsche win the drivers’ championship last season, narrowly missing out on the manufacturers’ title.
Despite his extensive success, looking back to his childhood, it was not a given that the Dane would become a racing driver.
“Racing itself was not something which was in my family or something I grew up with, but the interest of motor vehicles in my family was definitely there,” Christensen says.
“It was more a thing where me and my dad could spend together like a hobby, like soccer and so on, and I think the interest was probably greater for motor vehicles, so that’s how it started.
“The very first race I saw live was Le Mans, and it came off the back of Tom Kristensen winning his first overall victory in 1997 in a Porsche, so that’s a bit funny to think about now, but that’s where it all came.
“So endurance racing was somewhat in my mind before I even started racing myself, because I was too young at that stage to race go-karts. Then I started in go-karts and things took its own way - you’ve got to do the best you can for your own career.
“Formula 1 was on my mind for a very long time, of course this is a little bit also the dream that everyone else pushes on you when you do well when you’re young, so I jumped on that one as well.
“But actually, my first initial interest was endurance racing at Le Mans. Getting older and more involved in motor racing, I also kept an eye on Le Mans and endurance racing, and at a young stage in my career I realized Formula 1 is probably not the dream that I dreamt of, or it is the fact that I want to be a racing driver racing the coolest races in the coolest cars in the world amongst the best in the world?
“And there, Porsche and endurance racing really got me involved and helped me through the career.”
Battling to afford a career as a racing driver has often proven problematic for aspiring young drivers as they climb through the ranks, with huge costs associated with both go-karting and the single-seater ladder beyond.
While Christensen says his first year as a Porsche Junior was “the first period where becoming a professional racing driver from my side became less of an issue or challenge, because I got the backing from Porsche and I could focus on the real thing,” before the selection he was determined to earn the money necessary by any means.
After training as a mechanic in the early stages of his career, Christensen stopped working full-time, but to continue funding his lifestyle he opted to use his driving skills in a different way - even if it meant some early starts.
“I worked at this company that delivered all the coffee for the coffee shops, so you had to be there earlier than it opened,” he says.
“Up before four in the morning, delivering coffee to 18 shops in Copenhagen before they opened, so sometimes coming home Sunday, up early Monday, life.
“I never felt sorry for myself for that because that was nothing new for me to work hard for what I want, it was just how it went. It was tough, and I got quite tired at times, but then the next day comes.”
That strong work ethic has served him well in his tenure with Porsche, bringing much success both personally and professionally.
Two decades after watching compatriot and endurance racing icon Tom Kristensen take his maiden Le Mans success with the Joest Racing team in a Porsche-powered WSC95 in 1997, Christensen was able to take a class victory himself in 2018, in the iconic Pink Pig livery Porsche 911 RSR.
Racing alongside fellow Porsche factory drivers Kévin Estre and Laurens Vanthoor, the trio controlled the LMGTE class for almost the entire race before taking the checkered flag a lap ahead of their closest rivals.
It was a dream come true for Christensen, who says he “didn’t know it meant so much to me”.
“Obviously this was my ultimate dream, to stand on the podium, in my opinion, one of the hardest classes to win,” he adds.
“That season was called the super season because it was a longer one, and a lot of manufacturers there, great talents in the class as well.
“Ultimately, to stand on the podium was just amazing at the time, but I was very tired and had a weird feeling, I remember, that you won something that you dreamt of. The emotions didn’t really come to life at the podium because I was tired, but the day after, I remember waking up and I was like this is all I dreamt of.
“This made me truly happy and satisfied with myself. Suddenly, everything meant something. It’s like everything gave me a purpose that I didn’t know I was searching for, in feeling terms at least.
“So I knew this was what I always wanted, what I always dreamt of, but in terms of feelings it was suddenly giving me this relief of showing myself that I could achieve my dream and the goals I had searched for.”
While his on-track success has brought him great fulfilment, Christensen also has plenty going on off the track. Having spent 10 years living in Vienna, London and Monaco, he returned to his native Copenhagen in 2023 after a rethink prompted by the COVID pandemic and the way it inspired people to return to their roots.
Now, he enjoys spending time with his girlfriend playing padel tennis, golf and kayaking. He is also passionate about art, cars - mainly his beloved Porsche 911 S/T - and good food.
Christensen adds: “As I got older and more time to think about everything else than racing, I started to realize that I need a good place to recharge, to not think about racing as well, to give me the mental strength to then give everything I have when I am then on the track.
“I needed that offset more and more, and that turned out to be the return for me to Denmark, to not travel around and be between places all the time. So I’ve been back here for around 1.5 years now and it just seems more natural.”
Having spent the winter months recharging, Christensen is now ready for another attack on the WEC’s top class in the #5 Porsche 963 - this time, accompanied by new teammate Julien Andlauer.
Though the pair are early in their collaboration, Christensen is positive about Andlauer’s contribution, and says they have “great respect for each other.”
“Julien is a very optimistic young guy, and I really like that,” he says. “I’m the type of guy that probably looks a bit more strict on things, or maybe not the party maker, let’s say, more into hard facts, which sometimes can be a little hard to bring out the good mood and so on.
“I think he’s a very good contribution to me and I can be a very good contribution to him, that we find this level where he is good at making a good demonstration and fun and have this side of it as well, because we have to remember this is our passion as well as our job.
“We love what we do, and sometimes for me, I can forget a little bit about that - this is what I’m good at, this is what I love, and this job definitely deserves some fun around it because I can’t think of a better job in the world, but sometimes I can dig myself a hole and put myself into the competition state of things and only think about that.
“Julien is really good at bringing that out in me, to realize that we’re having a good time here and we should, but also focusing on things and hopefully I can bring my side a little towards him. We have great respect for each other and he’s a great talent and has all it takes. So I enjoy working with him and I think we’re a good contribution towards each other.”
With another thrilling season ahead, Christensen’s main goal is to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans: this time, overall. But off track? “Enjoy life and have a good time.”
To keep up with all the Porsche Penske Motorsport WEC activities in 2025, including the 24 Hours of Le Mans, visit our
