Porsche leaves LMP1 as champions

919s successfully defend WEC manufacturer and driver titles in Bahrain

Porsche has bowed out of LMP1 competition in the WEC at the very top after wrapping up a third consecutive manufacturer’s title, while the trio of Brendon Hartley, Earl Bamber and Timo Bernhard secured the 2017 driver’s championship, also the third year in a row for Porsche drivers.

Weissach’s two 919 E-hybrids finished second and third in the final round in Bahrain, rivals

Toyota emerging victorious from an incidentpacked night race. However, round nine of the World Endurance Championship carried much more significance than a mere six-hour sprint to close the season, the occasion also marking an end to one of the most dominant chapters in Porsche’s entire motorsport history. Porsche’s 919 proved indomitable in its field, claiming no less than three Le Mans 24-Hours victories in a row, as well as a haul of championship trophies, race wins, fastest laps and pole positions.

Oliver Blume, Chairman of the Executive

Board of Porsche AG, said after the race: “No other Porsche team has ever managed three Le Mans outright victories in a row, but this squad achieved it. I thank them very much for this. I’m extremely proud of every single team member. They have mastered a mammoth task with hard work, consistency and the right approach. To me this represents the Porsche spirit that our brand stands for. Now the team of Fritz Enzinger and Andreas Seidl face its new challenge: to enter Formula E for season six at the end of 2019.”

LMP1 drivers Nick Tandy and Earl Bamber are set to return to IMSA GT racing, with Neel Jani and Andre Lotterer being readied to race in Formula E.