Pascal Wehrlein will make his debut on the Le Mans 24 Hours with the manufacturing unit Porsche group this yr.
Wehrlein will share Porsche Penske Motorsport’s extra #4 963 LMDh with Nick Tandy and Felipe Nasr within the centrepiece spherical of the World Endurance Championship on 14-15 June.
Porsche has been making ready Wehrlein for a doable drive at Le Mans since November, when he was handed a last-minute alternative to affix its buyer group JDC-Miller within the IMSA-sanctioned take a look at at Daytona.
This was adopted by a maiden look within the Daytona 24 Hours with the identical group, the place he completed a superb sixth.
Wehrlein additionally examined the Porsche 963 throughout its improvement phases in 2022 and, though he’s new to endurance racing, he raced considerably related prototype equipment within the Class One period of the DTM.
The German has been part of Porsche’s manufacturing unit roster in Components E since 2020 and scored three wins final season en path to his maiden world title title.
The Le Mans outing is seen as a reward for his Components E success within the 2023/24 season.
“Competing for Porsche Penske Motorsport at Le Mans is a dream come true for me,” mentioned the 30-year-old
“I’m trying ahead to this main problem as a result of, in contrast to in Components E, I’ve to share every part within the Porsche 963 that I’d usually tailor particularly to myself – seating place, set-up, technique and extra.
“After all, I need to add different titles to my Components E World Championship victory, however my major objective is to do a powerful job for the group and study as a lot as doable. Porsche has such an iconic motorsport heritage, and I’m extraordinarily grateful for this chance.”
As was the case final yr, Porsche Penske Motorsport is fielding three 963 LMDh prototypes within the Hypercar division this yr, with a further automobile from IMSA becoming a member of the 2 World Endurance Championship entries.
It follows Porsche profitable an invitation to the French endurance traditional for profitable the GTP title at its second try in IMSA final yr.
Nonetheless, Porsche has scaled down its manufacturing unit LMDh pool from 10 drivers to eight, making a emptiness within the group for Le Mans, which has now been crammed by Wehrlein.
The #5 Porsche 963 will proceed be pushed by Michael Christensen, Julien Andlauer and Mathieu Jaminet, whereas the sister #6 automobile will probably be crewed by Laurens Vanthoor, Kevin Estre and Matt Campbell.
“The Porsche driver roster is completely top-tier and extremely deep,” mentioned Porsche Motorsport Vice-President Thomas Laudenbach. “It makes good sense to leverage our sturdy personnel from the Components E manufacturing unit group for the third Porsche Penske Motorsport entry at Le Mans.
“Pascal has absolutely satisfied us along with his efficiency in testing and his participation within the 24 Hours of Daytona.
“Because the reigning Components E world champion, he has earned his Le Mans debut on the wheel of a Porsche 963.”
Porsche additionally introduced that Antonio Felix da Costa, who companions Wehrlein in its Components E group, will race within the LMP2 division at Le Mans after lacking the 2024 version of the race altogether.
