Three-time Le Mans 24 Hours winner Andre Lotterer has been dropped from Porsche’s manufacturing facility World Endurance Championship squad as a part of a revamp of its 2025 LMDh line-up.
The veteran of the German producer’s LMP1, System E and LMDh campaigns since becoming a member of from Audi in 2017, who’s on the cusp of this yr’s WEC title with Laurens Vanthoor and Kevin Estre, is certainly one of three drivers leaving the dual arms of Porsche Penske Motorsport for subsequent yr.
Frederic Makowiecki, like Lotterer a part of the WEC Hypercar class squad since 2023, and Dane Cameron, winner of this yr’s IMSA SportsCar Championship GTP title with Felipe Nasr, are additionally departing.
What was described by Porsche as solely a “tweak“ of its driver roster programmes entails lowering the full-time line-up from three to 2 drivers within the WEC.
Vanthoor and Estre, who with Lotterer have a 35-point benefit going into subsequent month’s WEC finale in Bahrain, will race as a duo subsequent yr aboard the #6 Porsche 963 LMDh within the common six-hour races.
Michael Christensen retains his seat in #5 PPM entry he has shared with Makiowiecki and Matt Campbell this yr and will likely be joined by Julien Andlauer.
The French Porsche manufacturing facility driver has gained a seat in one of many manufacturing facility automobiles after impressing on the wheel of the Proton Competitors buyer 963 within the WEC this season.
#7 Group Penske Motorsport Porsche 963: Dane Cameron, Matt Campbell
Picture by: Michael L. Levitt / Motorsport Photos
Campbell will return to the IMSA ranks after a solo season in one of many WEC automobiles and can workforce up with Mathieu Jaminet within the #6 PPM automobile in North America.
Cameron’s seat alongside Nasr will likely be taken by Briton Nick Tandy, who strikes over from the sister automobile he has shared with Jaminet for the previous two seasons.
Jaminet and Campbell will respectively be part of the #5 and #6 crews for Le Mans and, in accordance with Porsche’s press assertion saying the adjustments, “chosen races”.
That may be taken to imply the 10- and eight-hour races in Qatar and Bahrain that may bookend the 2025 WEC season.
Estre and Vanthoor have likewise been nominated to drive the #6 and #7 IMSA automobiles for chosen races in IMSA’s Michelin Endurance Cup.
Frenchman Makowiecki, 43, is leaving Porsche after 11 seasons predominantly in its GT ranks, which included a GTE Professional class win at Le Mans in 2022 and an general victory within the Nurburgring 24 Hours in 2018.
He and Porsche have “agreed to conclude their collaboration”, learn Porsche’s announcement.
#5 Porsche Penske Motorsport Porsche 963: Frederic Makowiecki
Picture by: Marc Fleury
It said that Lotterer and Cameron’s contracts with Porsche expire on the finish of this yr, however didn’t particularly state that they’re leaving the employment of the producer. When contacted by Motorsport.com, Porsche was unwilling to make clear the drivers’ standing.
Porsche Motorsport boss Thomas Laudenbach mentioned: “I’d wish to thank Dane Cameron, Andre Lotterer and Frederic Makowiecki for his or her unbelievable work over the previous three years [since the 963 started testing in January 2022].
“All three have performed a major position in us having the ability to have a good time nice successes with the Porsche 963 on either side of the Atlantic – in simply the second yr of competitors.”
PPM’s resolution to go to 2 drivers for the common six-hour WEC races follows a debate over whether or not three drivers needs to be mandated in Hypercar.
It was sparked by the Chip Ganassi Racing Cadillac workforce selecting to make use of simply two drivers within the six-hour WEC races this yr.
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Working two drivers presents a bonus by way of monitor time throughout observe and, doubtlessly, a strategic profit within the races.
Strikes for a change in guidelines, led by WRT BMW workforce boss Vincent Vosse, had been rejected after they didn’t discover backing from a majority of producers.
Porsche made play of Andlauer’s standing as certainly one of its former junior drivers: its assertion identified that he’ll turn into the fourth former junior after Christensen, Jaminet and Campbell to affix the PPM 963 squad.
No reference was made to a possible third PPM entry at Le Mans subsequent June, the fitting to which it has received after claiming the IMSA title.
Laudenbach said final week that he anticipated to take up the entry and run an extra automobile within the double-points WEC spherical, as Porsche did in 2023 and ’24.
