Path to 20th Le Mans victory closes as Porsche quits World Endurance Championship

The Porsche path to a 20th Le Mans victory has come to a close – at least for now.

And that is because the German brand has officially quit the World Endurance Championship.

Various factors for the withdrawal include performance on the track, as well as its financial situation.

And it has all culminated in the iconic automaker withdrawing from the World Endurance Championship.

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Porsche leaves WEC – with 20th Le Mans victory dream gone

Today is bad news for fans of Porsche Motorsport across the world.

And that is because the German marque is officially pulling out of the FIA World Endurance Championship.

Rumors have been swirling over the last few months that it might be pulling out of the competition.

A lack of on-track success, coupled with financial issues, appears to have led to the decision.

It now means that a path to a 20th Le Mans victory for Porsche has just got a whole lot more difficult.

The brand currently sits second in the Hypercar standings with only the season finale in Bahrain left to run.

By anyone’s standards, second in the World Endurance Championship is extremely respectable.

But the German automaker’s leadership is very unhappy with how the 963 has been diminished compared to Ferrari’s cars.

In the 963’s three years of competition, a Ferrari 499P won at Le Mans.

Dr. Michael Steiner is the Porsche deputy chairman, and he had this to say:

“We very much regret that, due to the current circumstances, we will not be continuing our involvement in the WEC after this season.”

Germans not leaving motorsport entirely

Of course, this doesn’t mean that Porsche is completely withdrawing from motorsport.

Germany’s marque has already declared its intention to focus on the next-generation Formula E ruleset.

It has already committed to Gen 4, with the new regulations set to be implemented in 2026-27.

The new Formula E cars will make an enormous jump from the current 470hp to 800hp.

But there is something that has confused many fans across the world.

Porsche has made clear its intention to scrap plans for full EV production cars.

Instead, the marque is renewing its focus on gas-powered and plug-in hybrid powertrains.

As far as full EVs go, the brand has rescheduled development of its new all-EV powertrain until the 2030s.

Hopefully, we will see a future return to the World Endurance Championship for Porsche.

If nothing else, a 20th Le Mans victory would be wonderful to see.