MOTORSPORT: Porsche exits LMP1, Formula E bound

Earlier this week it was Mercedes-Benz, now it’s Porsche that has confirmed it will join Formula E.

The storied sports-car brand announced earlier today that it will exit the premier class of the World Endurance Championship (WEC), LMP1, and join the open-wheel battery EV racing formula.

The exit from WEC will take place at the end of this season. The company departs in a season in which it has already claimed victory in the jewel in the crown, the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Porsche is odds-on to claim the manufacturer’s title in the prestigious series.

It will not, however, entirely exit WEC competition. Instead, it will bolster its presence in the ostensibly road-car based GT category in (ironically) its bespoke non-road-car-based mid-engined 911 RSR

The Formula E debut for Porsche will take place in 2019. That’s a watershed season for the EV racing series as it will at the same time welcome Mercedes-Benz and BMW. Other brands confirmed include Audi, Jaguar and Renault.

It’s also the first season in which Formula E will move away from a ‘spec’ class to manufacturer specific racer.

“This realignment of motorsport is derived from the direction set out for the company in Porsche Strategy 2025, which will see Porsche develop a combination of pure GT vehicles and fully electric sports cars, such as the first fully battery-powered Mission E road car,” the company’s press release stated.

“Entering Formula E and achieving success in this category are the logical outcomes of our Mission E. The growing freedom for in-house technology developments makes Formula E attractive to us”, says Michael Steiner, Porsche’s boss of R&D.

“Porsche is working with alternative, innovative drive concepts. For us, Formula E is the ultimate competitive environment for driving forward the development of high-performance vehicles in areas such as environmental friendliness, efficiency and sustainability”.

Porsche exits LMP1 after four highly successful years, three victories in a row at the 24 Hours of Le Mans and World Championship titles in both the team and driver classification in 2015 and 2016.

Fritz Enzinger, Porsche’s Vice President LMP1 stated: “Building up the Le Mans team from scratch was a huge challenge. Over the years, we have developed an incredibly successful and professional team. This will be our basis going forward. I am certain that we will maintain our high level in Formula E. Confidence is high, and we are excited to get started”.

Porsche says it will keep “the successful LMP1 team fully intact, including the factory drivers”.

“Alongside ventures in other racing series and the intensive preparation for Formula E, Porsche is examining other fields of application and development areas,” the company stated.