Porsche driver Michael Christensen mentioned he want to stay within the World Championship subsequent yr regardless of hypothesis linking him with a transfer to the IMSA SportsCar Championship.
Porsche revealed final month that it will be making modifications to its manufacturing facility crews for its third season with the 963 LMDh within the Hypercar and GTP courses of WEC and IMSA respectively.
These might embrace potential driver swaps between the 2 collection, just like how Dane Cameron and Matt Campbell switched positions forward of 2024.
There additionally stays a risk of Porsche downsizing its WEC line-ups to run two drivers in every automotive for the six-hour races that make up half of subsequent yr’s eight-round calendar.
Amid a attainable shuffle in drivers, together with rumours that Christensen could possibly be moved to IMSA, the Le Mans 24 Hours class winner has mentioned he would favor to stay within the WEC in 2025 for what can be his tenth straight yr on this planet championship.
He defined that familiarity with the WEC facet of the Porsche Penske Motorsport operation, in addition to having an automated entry to Le Mans, had been key the reason why staying put is extra engaging to him than returning to the collection the place he spent a single season racing the Porsche 911 RSR within the GTLM class a decade in the past.
“My choice has all the time been WEC, I actually like that [series],” the Dane instructed Motorsport.com.
“I did race in IMSA in 2014, my first yr of the manufacturing facility driver contract and I favored it. I actually assume IMSA is cool as properly, however I felt extra at residence in WEC.
Christensen raced in IMSA throughout the 2014 season
Picture by: Richard Dole
“The best way the championship is constructed up, it’s [based] in Europe, the race tracks, the crew and the way in which pitstops are achieved, all these items are extra acquainted [to me].
“On prime of it, and doubtless an important [thing] is that you’ve the safety to do Le Mans. You might be working with the [same] crew in Le Mans that you’re racing with [in all other] all races as properly. So, in fact, that’s why I want to do WEC.
“Talking about subsequent yr, there was no communication actually between us, or me at the very least and Porsche. To date they haven’t communicated something.
“The one factor I do know is the rumours that are across the paddock, however whether or not that’s true or not, no thought.”
Christensen and his team-mates within the #5 Porsche, Campbell and Frederic Makowiecki, presently sit fifth within the drivers’ standings heading to the Bahrain finale in November.
The championship is led by the sister Porsche crewed by Kevin Estre, Laurens Vanthoor and Andre Lotterer, with the trio holding a 35-point lead with solely 39 up for grabs within the bonus-points decider.
Porsche is but to announce when it will be invoking first of the 5 evo jokers allowed to it underneath the unique five-year rule cycle of the 963 LMDh.
A deliberate improve of its hybrid engine, which centred on a swap to a 90° crankshaft from a 180°, was deserted after it was in a position to get by means of this yr’s Le Mans with none main reliability points.
#5 Porsche Penske Motorsport Porsche 963: Matt Campbell, Michael Christensen, Frederic Makowiecki
Picture by: Alexander Trienitz
The German producer heads the standings in each the WEC and IMSA, as their respective seasons draw to an in depth in November and October respectively.
Christensen mentioned there are nonetheless some areas the place Porsche can enhance the 963, highlighting a straightline velocity deficit at Circuit de la Sarthe that contributed to it ending exterior the rostrum within the WEC’s centrepiece occasion this yr.
“There are all the time issues to replace, there are all the time issues to enhance and we additionally noticed that early within the venture and nonetheless have some issues which aren’t solved and which may’t be solved with set-up,” he defined.
“So for positive we now have some issues that I consider we must always deal with to attempt to enhance. Whether or not that is attainable or not when it comes to laws, I don’t know. That is the administration who is aware of that.
“However for positive we now have issues to enhance and this you’ll be able to say want extra for, Le Mans prime velocity for instance.
“I am unable to inform why we aren’t ok there, however we lack loads [of stop speed].
“And if you have a look at the info from Le Mans, in fact it is only one race however it’s the most important race and with a variety of factors, in order that and a few [other] mechanical stuff for element.
“A couple of issues we ought to be centered on. I am unsure whether it is attainable to vary. There’s all the time one thing to enhance.”
