Porsche anticipating ‘even tougher competition’ in 2025

In taking the chequered flag in Bahrain last month, Porsche Penske Motorsport trio Kévin Estre, André Lotterer and Laurens Vanthoor secured the FIA Hypercar World Endurance Drivers’ Championship crown, seeing off high-calibre opposition from Toyota and Ferrari. And the German/American outfit is already eyeing a repeat performance with its Porsche 963 in 2025 – along with other high-profile goals.

In the cockpit, former Porsche ‘Junior’ Julien Andlauer has been promoted to the works line-up and will share the #5 hybrid prototype with the incumbent Michael Christensen. The sister #6 entry will continue to be piloted by Estre and Vanthoor, with Matt Campbell and Mathieu Jaminet set to join the crews for selected races, including the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

An unprecedented 20^th outright victory at La Sarthe is one of the brand’s major targets for the forthcoming campaign, as well as the FIA WEC Manufacturers’ laurels, which narrowly escaped its grasp this year. In recent weeks, engineers have been busy fine-tuning the suspension of the 963, with a view to better adapting its set-up to suit the specific characteristics and demands of individual circuits.

“The competition will be even tougher in 2025,” mused Porsche Motorsport Vice-President, Thomas Laudenbach. “Our rivals will progress, and new competition will come along, too, but we feel well-prepared. In the past few months, we have carried out intensive analyses, and the results have already been incorporated into our preparations for the season ahead.”

“We’re looking back on one of the most successful motorsport years in the history of our brand,” added Oliver Blume, Chairman of the Porsche AG Management Board. “That gave us a boost at a time when we really needed it.

“For us, motorsport is not an objective in its own right but has always been an integral part of our DNA. Porsche without motorsport simply doesn’t work. Our racing cars represent our brand. They’re on the world’s racetracks as our ambassadors and are rolling innovation labs. The things we successfully test on the track often find their way into our series development. That’s what makes our production cars so unique – and so beloved by our customers.”

There will be a third 963 in the FIA WEC Hypercar ranks in 2025, fielded by Proton Competition, with the experienced Neel Jani the first confirmed driver. The Swiss star won both Le Mans and the World Championship in 2016 behind the wheel of a Porsche 919 Hybrid.

In the LMGT3 category, there will be a brace of 911 GT3 R entries run by Manthey Racing, which ruled the roost in 2024 against cars from eight rival marques. Klaus Bachler, Joel Sturm and Alex Malykhin swept to title glory, with stablemates Richard Lietz, Morris Schuring and Yasser Shahin backing them up by securing second spot in the final FIA Endurance Trophy for LMGT3 Drivers and Teams standings.

Between them, the two Porsche crews won half of the eight races – including Le Mans. Sturm subsequently picked up the coveted Porsche Cup – presented annually since 1970 – at the prestigious ‘Night of Champions’ at the Porsche Development Centre in Weissach, as the best amateur driver at the wheel of a Porsche racecar in 2024. The 23-year-old German beat team-mate Malykhin to the award.

For 2025, factory driver Lietz will remain on-board the #91 entry – to be joined by Ryan Hardwick and Riccardo Pera – with the Iron Dames switching to Manthey’s other car as they return to Porsche power following a season with Lamborghini.

“Winning the title in FIA WEC’s new LMGT3 class was hugely important to us,” commented Sebastian Golz, Project Manager for the Porsche 911 GT3 R. “Our successes in the world championship are obviously among the highlights of the year.”

“The Porsche 911 GT3 R is a dependable force to be reckoned with in tough GT3 competitions worldwide,” echoed Michael Dreiser, Director of Sales for Porsche Motorsport. “We’re already very excited for 2025.”