Porsche open to potential Hypercar return

Porsche Motorsport Vice President Thomas Laudenbach confirmed at Le Mans that the decision to end the brand's FIA WEC Hypercar effort remains unchanged, although he expressed positivity about the 2030 regulations, which were revealed on the eve of the race.

This year's Le Mans marked a notably different appearance for Porsche. With Porsche Penske Motorsport no longer competing in Hypercar, the manufacturer was represented solely by two Manthey-run 911 GT3 Rs in LMGT3 – its smallest presence at the French endurance classic since the 1950s.

"We stepped out of Hypercar, which is well known, and the fact that we only have two cars is due to the fact that the WEC is on a real high," Laudenbach told RACER. "There are no more spots left. That's a good sign, as we see a huge variety of manufacturers in Hypercar and LMGT3."

Asked whether Porsche could return to Hypercar in the near future to pursue a 20th overall Le Mans victory, Laudenbach made clear that no such plans currently exist.

"If you ask me if we will be racing in WEC next year? No. We had a business decision," he said. "The only comment I can make is we had a decision to stop the WEC program after 2025, and this decision is in place, and there is no decision to come back, so far."

Porsche remains committed to IMSA's GTP class through at least the end of the 2027 season with Porsche Penske Motorsport. Beyond that, however, the manufacturer's long-term prototype plans remain open, with the new 2030 ruleset drawing significant attention internally.

"It was a tough decision, not an easy one, keeping in mind certain circumstances (to withdraw from the WEC's Hypercar class)," Laudenbach explained. "Now we look to the future and see if this (the economic difficulties the brand faces) changes, and for sure we will discuss it.

"We are very interested in where the rules go. We gave feedback to the ACO and FIA that we appreciate the general direction, mainly talking about having only one set of technical framework. There will not be LMH and LMDh in the future; it's what we wanted. I want to be positive about that.

"The real work comes now. We're in contact with the ACO and FIA; we are happy to contribute, which we will do, and we have been doing. Now the job for me in the next weeks is to get the details right because there's a lot to be defined. But the general direction is very good and we focus on the future. That's why we are engaged and contributing to what we hope is the right set of rules."

Porsche was among the strongest advocates for a unified technical platform to improve the performance-balancing process and contain costs, making the broad direction of the new regulations a positive development for the Stuttgart manufacturer. However, Laudenbach cautioned that it remains too early to determine whether the final regulations will ultimately be attractive enough to support a future return.

"I think (carryover of current concepts/cars to the new era) is a good option," he said. "But from what I know, due to new safety standards you have to rework the monocoque. If it is possible for a big carryover, yes, that's a good option. And if we decide on a new program, we will have to make up our minds on if we will rework the car. By then it will be seven or eight years old.

"I can only speak for Porsche. If we go somewhere, we want to be in a position to win, not to fill the grid. Once we have the final rules and the detailed boundary conditions, we will answer that question. What we know now is there will be things you can take over – maybe you make small changes, but you will not start with a white sheet of paper. Why put too much effort into the engine when it's restricted and limited?

"Right now we have an idea, but these decisions – on powertrain, hybrid, monocoque – we have to make when we have the detailed rules. It's too early to create an opinion."