©Porsche
Former F1 driver and reigning Formula E world champion Pascal Wehrlein has been selected to fill the final seat in Porsche Penske Motorsport’s third factory Hypercar entry for this year’s Le Mans 24 Hours.
The German driver will join Nick Tandy and Felipe Nasr aboard the #4 Porsche 963 LMDh as Porsche aims for victory in the prestigious endurance race.
The announcement confirms Wehrlein’s growing role within Porsche’s motorsport operations. The 30-year-old, currently in his fifth Formula E season with the marque, will make his Le Mans debut following an initial taste of endurance racing at the Daytona 24 Hours in January, where he drove a Porsche 963 for JDC-Miller MotorSports.
Porsche Motorsport boss Thomas Laudenbach highlighted Wehrlein’s credentials.
“The Porsche driver roster is absolutely top-tier and incredibly deep,” commented Laudenbach. “It only makes sense to leverage our strong personnel from the FE factory team for the third PPM entry at Le Mans.
“Pascal Wehrlein has fully convinced us with his performance in testing and his participation in the Daytona 24 Hours. As the reigning FE world champion, he has earned his Le Mans debut at the wheel of a Porsche 963.”
Wehrlein, who previously raced in Formula 1 with Manor and Sauber, expressed his excitement at the opportunity, describing it as a significant milestone in his career.
“Porsche has such an iconic motorsport heritage; I am extremely grateful for this opportunity,” said the 30-year-old charger.
“I’m looking forward to this major challenge because, unlike in FE, I will have to share everything in the Porsche 963 that I would normally tailor specifically to myself: seating position, set-up, strategy and more.
“I want to add major titles in other series to my FE world championship victory, but my primary goal is to do a strong job for the team and learn as much as possible.”
With Porsche Penske Motorsport fielding three Hypercars at Le Mans, the German manufacturer is gearing up for an all-out assault on endurance racing’s crown jewel.
Wehrlein’s addition to the lineup strengthens the team’s depth and adds another proven champion to its roster as Porsche chases its next Le Mans triumph.
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