Christensen returns to the Glen with Manthey...and a point to prove

In over 12 years as a Porsche factory racing driver, Michael Christensen has delivered more than a fair share of outstanding milestones for himself, and for the German manufacturer. A World Endurance champion in the GTE Pro class, an overall winner at the Nürburgring and Spa 24 Hours, and a class winner in all three legs of the traditional “Triple Crown of Endurance” – Daytona, Sebring and Le Mans.

More recently, Christensen was a fixture of the Porsche Penske Motorsport factory Hypercar team in the FIA WEC, and has occasionally graced the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship with cameo appearances like the ones that helped AO Racing clinch the 2024 GTD Pro title.

It’s why it’s so strange that his return to IMSA at Watkins Glen marks only his second time behind the wheel of a race car in 2026, months after being a casualty of Porsche Penske’s withdrawal from the WEC. And it's why Christensen found it hard to find the words to express how tough it’s been to spend most of this year on the sidelines.

“Coming off the top program in Porsche Motorsport and then being sidelined like that is, of course, not what you wish for. But it’s been a bit out of my hands, and I have to accept that,” said Christensen, who’ll reunite with Manthey Racing to drive the No. 911 “Grello” Porsche GT3 R with Klaus Bachler and the debuting Loek Hartog.

With Manthey, Christensen won Le Mans, won at the Nürburgring and won a world title abroad. He’d have been a perfect fit for Manthey’s first Michelin Endurance Cup campaign in IMSA, not just as a substitute due to the clash between the Six Hours of the Glen and the 24 Hours of Spa, but as a permanent fixture of the five-race program. But he admitted that his dismissal from the Porsche Hypercar team, even before the conclusion of the 2025 season, has left him to consider a future outside of the marque.

“Due to that, I have to take a decision on that. Because I’m not my future count on people who do that to me. It’s like that," he said. “But I’m happy to be here with good people at Manthey, and good drivers, and so on. I’m looking forward to racing with them.”

Christensen also alluded to losing out on a more substantial racing program for 2026 in months prior, saying, “It looked like a decent, good program was in the cards, but then when the truth came to reality, it seemed like suddenly there was nothing.”

Dinamic GT provided Christensen his only race of 2026 to date, and he didn’t miss a beat, helping guide young drivers Hartog, Bastian Buus and Joel Sturm to a sixth-place finish at the ‘Ring in May.

“This year is what it is. But I’m only going to work with people I like from now on,” Christensen said. "And that also includes the manufacturers. Of course, it’s a difficult thing to talk about, fully transparent, because I think there’s no need to do that. But on the other hand, I think it would be weird to say that I’m totally happy with the situation.”

Even with Matt Campbell leaving for Ford Racing, Laurens Vanthoor getting loaned to McLaren United AS, and persistent rumors about the 2027 plans for Kévin Estre, Christensen flat-out declined interest in returning to Porsche Penske Motorsport next year. “I would never go with Porsche and the Hypercar program again,” the Dane said bluntly.

Christensen (middle) was a key part of Porsche's WEC Hypercar program, but appears to have left that firmly in the rearview mirror. Jakob Ebrey/Getty Images

He comes back to Watkins Glen for the first time since his partial-season program with Alegra Motorsports in 2017, the same year he won the Rolex 24 At Daytona in GTD. Back behind the wheel of a racing car, he’s eager to prove a point and help Manthey continue the momentum from its win at the Twelve Hours of Sebring in March.

“This track in particular is such a cool, cool track,” Christensen said of the venue. “It’s been a while, but it’s cool to be back now.

“It always depends on the performance on the weekend and on (race) day, but with this team and with the driver line-up, I think that there’s a good chance that we can do a good job. Let’s see how things really turn out, but I’m confident that we can maximize whatever we’ve got.

“Driving in FP1, the car feels good, we just need to adjust and get the small things sorted – which is what racing is about. But I have good feelings from the teamwork perspective, and yeah, let’s see how it looks on Sunday.”