Porsche Team released a statement Friday morning when he announced his departure from the FIA World Endurance Championship LMP1 at the end of season 2017. The German automaker also reported it was joining the Formula E from the 2019 season . A turning point in the history of the WEC.
The manufacturer Porsche announced Friday that he would leave the end of 2017 MotoGP World Endurance Championship (WEC), the LMP1 to engage in Formula Electric from the season 2019. The decision of Porsche is not a surprise, it was even widely expected, especially after the withdrawal of Audi, another subsidiary of the Volkswagen group from the LMP1 before the start of the current season. It is part of “the new strategy and realignment of motorsport program from Porsche”, the statement from the Stuttgart firm. This choice to remove the 919 Hybrid leaves Toyota as the only manufacturer of LMP1, which calls into question the viability of the premier class of endurance.
— Porsche LMP1 Team (@Porsche_Team) July 28, 2017
The possible arrival of other participants weight in LMP1 as Peugeot is indeed not expected until at least 2020. In a statement, the Automobile Club de l’Ouest (ACO), developer of the WEC says sorry “this hasty departure, as the brutality of this decision on the part of the manufacturer crowned the most beautiful bay of Endurance” . Porsche has won 19 victories in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the WEC main event, whose 2017 edition in June.
The German manufacturer nevertheless specifies in its statement that it will continue to hire 911 in the GT class of the WEC. On Monday, another renowned German manufacturer of Mercedes, announced he was leaving the German championship of touring cars, DTM, the end of 2018 to also engage in Formula E in the 2019 season. BMW and Audi, are participating in the Formula E next season, are also considering a withdrawal from the DTM, resulting de facto disappearance.
