Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Autosport
Autosport
Sport

Lotterer could continue with Porsche despite losing Hypercar drive

Three-time Le Mans 24 Hours winner Andre Lotterer has not ruled out continuing his relationship with Porsche when he leaves its World Endurance Championship Hypercar squad after this season.

The German, who took his three Le Mans wins with Audi in 2011, ’12 and ’14, has revealed that talks with Porsche to extend his time with the marque are on-going.

But he declined to go into detail ahead of this weekend’s WEC finale in Bahrain in which he can claim a second world championship title together with Porsche Penske Motorsport team-mates Laurens Vanthoor and Kevin Estre.

“There are talks and it is possible [to continue with Porsche],” Lotterer told Autosport.

“There are discussions about what I could do in the future; they have asked me about what I would like to do after this.

“But I want to do this race first and then see afterwards - there is a championship to win.

“I don’t want anything to interfere with that.”

#6 Porsche Penske Motorsport Porsche 963: Kevin Estre, Andre Lotterer (Photo by: Andreas Beil)

Lotterer will be out of contract at Porsche at the end of this season and has lost his place in the #6 Penske-run factory 963 LMDh as the German manufacturer downscales its full-season line-up from three to two drivers per car for 2025.

The 42-year-old stressed that he has no plans to retire from driving whether he remains with Porsche or not.

“I don’t want to retire,” said the German.

“When I stop, that is something that I would like to decide myself.”

Lotterer has been linked to a role with Hyundai, which is developing an LMDh to race with the badges of its premium Genesis brand, but he declined to reveal whether he is in talks with a marque expected to enter the WEC in 2026.

“When something comes to an end, people ask what you could do next?” said Lotterer.

“Regardless of whether I am talking to them, there are other other opportunities for sure.”

Lotterer plumped for the current WEC season, which has so far included wins in Qatar and at Fuji as well as a further three podiums, as the highlight of a stint with Porsche that began in 2017 after his switch from Audi following its withdrawal from the WEC.

“Last season when we came back [to the top class of the WEC] was so-so, but this year we have had a winning car and it is my best time with Porsche,” said Lotterer, who won his first WEC title with Audi in 2012.

He also revealed that he took satisfaction from Porsche’s successes in Formula E after his departure from its squad after three seasons at the end of the 2022/23 campaign.

“We worked really hard to have a strong foundation,” he explained.

“What we are seeing now is an evolution of that: it is nice to see the team succeeding.”

Porsche’s factory squad won the FE title in 2023/24 with Pascal Wehrlein after Jake Dennis took the crown in ’22/23 with its powertrain in an Andretti entry.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.