WEC: Will Porsche's departure not affect customer teams?

      Porsche's decision to wind down its factory program in the World Endurance Championship should not affect customer teams, Thomas Laudenbach, head of Porsche Motorsport, said.

      With one round remaining in the season, Porsche sits second in the Hypercar team standings, 39 points behind Ferrari, but the "8 Hours of Bahrain," scheduled for November 8, will be the last race for the factory 963 prototypes carrying numbers 5 and 6. However, drivers of independent team Proton Competition race in an identical Hypercar, No. 99.

      Speaking to the press this weekend at Road Atlanta during the latest round of the American IMSA championship, Laudenbach assured that Porsche cars will remain in the hands of customer teams competing in the WEC not only in the LMGT3 class but also in the Hypercar class.

      "The decision not to participate in the 2026 season with our factory program will in no way affect our customer programs. I have nothing more to add. The rest will depend on our customers, as well as the ACO and the FIA," he said.

      The French Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO) is the organizer of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the marquee event of the endurance racing season. The problem is that, under the WEC sporting regulations, each manufacturer must enter at least two Hypercars. Moreover, it is the manufacturer — in this case Porsche — that must decide which cars will compete in the main Hypercar classification and which in the Cup classification.

      It was in the classification called the Hypercar Team Cup that Proton Competition competed, and it has not yet announced its plans for 2026. In addition, Urs Kuratle, head of Porsche's factory program in the LMDh (Hypercar) category, confirmed that he is not currently in talks with any other teams that might potentially be interested in participating in the WEC.

      However, opinions are already being expressed that the regulations for 2026 could be adjusted in some way to allow customer teams to enter Porsche 963 Hypercars in the World Championship after all.

      But there is another very significant obstacle that may prevent customer teams from joining the WEC: a substantial entry fee, which for the Hypercar category amounts to €538,000.

      When Laudenbach was asked whether Porsche could cover that fee, he replied: "If necessary, we'll discuss it. Of course, we are always happy to help our customers. I repeat, the decision to wind down the factory program in the WEC does not change our customer strategy."