24h Le Mans
After a roller coaster of a first season for the 963 last year, Porsche Penske Motorsport was looking to get a grip on the situation in 2024. With decisive wins and decent reliability, the German carmaker showed significant progress while still facing certain major challenges.
Porsche’s 2024 season got off to a flying start with a resounding victory at the Rolex 24 at Daytona in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. The success infused the marque's upcoming foray into the FIA World Endurance Championship with optimism, confirmed at the opening round 1812 km of Qatar when the #6 Porsche 963 shared by Kévin Estre/André Lotterer/Laurens Vanthoor reached the top step on the podium.
Consistency was the name of the game at the 6 Hours of Imola, with second and third places snatched by the two official cars. These performances transformed Porsche Penske Motorsport into a favourite to win the 24 Hours with one of three factory prototypes. Roger Penske's team was hoping for a triumphant return to the biggest endurance race in the world.
Despite the #6 Porsche 963 clinching the Hyperpole, Le Mans proved much more challenging than expected. Questionable tyre strategy and a top speed lower than Ferrari and Toyota hampered Porsche's ambitions.
The #6 finished fourth, the #5 sixth and the #4 was forced to retire after an incident. The outcome, though respectable, was bittersweet. Urs Kuratle, Director Factory Motorsport LMDh: We were so close to big success. That said, we must admit that we weren’t entirely without error today. Kevin Estre: That’s not the result we were aiming for. While we fought our way back up the order, in the end we couldn’t find the pace we needed to be in contention for overall victory. We must keep learning and come back stronger next year
After the disappointment of the 24 Hours, Porsche Penske Motorsport bounced back with solid outcomes. At the 6 Hours of São Paulo, the two Porsches made it to the second and third steps on the podium. The #6's win at the 6 Hours of Fuji underscored the team's progress, marking a turning point in the season. Porsche headed into the Bapco Energies 8 Hours of Bahrain, final race of the championship, leading the Manufacturer standings. However, TOYOTA GAZOO Racing walked away with that title, but Estre/Lotterer/Vanthoor scored the Drivers' trophy, a stunning result demonstrating the increasing power of the programme.
Thomas Laudenbach, Porsche Motorsport Vice President: Compared to 2023, we made significant improvements in all areas. We brought the Porsche 963 and the entire programme to the top within a short period of time. Despite this, the 2024 results remained a bit of a letdown. Victory at the 24 Hours, the key to glory for Porsche, was missing.
In 2025, the German constructor will focus on one crucial objective: bringing home its 20th Le Mans win. With at least two factory cars confirmed and returning seasoned driver line-ups, the marque intends to capitalise on its gains while correcting its weaknesses.
Though 2024 didn't quite live up to the hype, it nevertheless marked an important milestone for Porsche in the FIA WEC. With two clear wins against fierce competitors, as well as the Drivers' title, the carmaker set the stage for the upcoming 2025 season. Will Porsche achieve its ultimate goal of winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans next year?
