Porsche to enter Formula E

FRANKFURT: Porsche announced yesterday it was leaving the top category of Le Mans sportscar racing at the end of the season to join German automotive rivals in the Formula E electric championship in 2019.

‘‘Entering Formula E and achieving success in this category are the logical outcomes of our Mission E,’’ development chief Michael Steiner said in a statement.

Porsche, the factory team of which has been Le Mans champions for the last three years and won the World Endurance Championship (WEC) in 2015 and 2016, has already taken the first steps towards developing its own Formula E car this year, the group said.

The announcement had been widely expected in the motorsport world and came after Mercedes confirmed on Tuesday its move into Formula E and exit from the German Touring Car championship.

The arrival of Mercedes and Porsche in the series for season six, which starts in 2019 and ends in 2020, will take to 12 the number of Formula E teams.

Porsche’s exit from the main LMP1 Le Mans category will be a big blow for the WEC, which risks being left with Toyota as the only major car manufacturer competing at that level.

Both the WEC and Le Mans have multiple tiers of entries and Porsche will continue to compete in the GT class with its 911 RSR model. — Reuters