The FIA WECโs season finales in Bahrain have never failed to produce drama, with titles seemingly always on the line and the pressure for underperforming teams and drivers to deliver ratcheted up ahead of the off-season.
Itโs often an emotional occasion too, and this year is no different. Up and down the paddock there are several milestones to note as eras come to an end and new beginnings approach.
A handful of them come at Porsche, which is gunning for a historic sweep of FIA WEC Hypercar titles with its factory 963s in the hope of adding to the Penske-run factory outfitโs suite of successes in IMSAโs GTP class this year.
Looking beyond the championship battles, a spotlight currently shines on its factory driver roster because change is afoot. Porscheโs decision to shift to competing with two drivers for the full season in 2025 has led to two key departures and one key hire, with Andre Lotterer and Fred Makowiecki out and Julien Andlauer in.
Marshall Pruett recently described Dane Cameronโs situation on the IMSA side of the Porsche equation as โbizarreโ. The American is another driver from PPM’s stable who finds himself moving on, despite winning the IMSA GTP Driversโ title and the Rolex 24 this year.
Lotterer finds himself in an eerily similar position. Tomorrow, he will fight for the FIA WEC Hypercar Driversโ title (and the Manufacturersโ title) with Laurens Vanthoor and Kevin Estre in his final outing for the factory prototype team.
The 42-year-old German will leave Porsche Penske Motorsport at the conclusion of a highly successful, turnaround season for the brandโs flagship sportscar program.
To this point, the three-time Le Mans winner has helped the No. 6 963 capture victories at Qatar and Fuji, putting himself and his co-drivers 35 points clear at the top of the table, meaning he wields the chance to end 2024 on the highest of notes tomorrow.
Lotterer could echo IMSA counterpart Dane Cameron in winning a championship for Porsche on his way out the door, but the three-time Le Mans winner is hoping to continue his career elsewhere next year. JEP/Motorsport Images
Looking ahead, Lottererโs future in the sport isnโt clear, though heโs adamant that he isnโt ready to hang up his helmet just yet. He’s understood to be in discussions with multiple manufacturers for 2025 and beyond, and may even find a landing spot with Porsche outside of the factory Hypercar program.
โThey (Porsche) made the decision (not to renew his 963 program contract) a while ago, and I understood they were going to stick to that regardless of how the season went. They have their agenda, so I need to focus on mine and I look forward to continuing,โ he told RACER.
โOf course there are options with Porsche elsewhere, there is loyalty because Iโve been with the (VAG) group for a long time, since 2010. The aim was always to grow old together, but the thing is, I donโt want to stop driving yet. I want to decide when.
โItโs not an easy marketplace though. There are a lot of drivers, itโs hard to find somewhere that ticks all the boxes and has a strong foundation. I donโt want to continue just for the sake of it. But I think my value is here (in the WEC), I donโt think Iโll be back in Formula E or Formula 1.
โSo I said to Porsche: โLetโs finish the year with a title and see where we go from there.โโ
Fred Makowiecki holds a different outlook as he exits stage left, after more than a decade of service for the brand. He reflects on his time with Porsche โ which included wins at Le Mans and the Nรผrburgring 24 Hours โ fondly, because, in his words, โthere have been so many special moments.โ But he feels ready to move on.
โI want to finish well and give Porsche a Manufacturersโ title,โ he said. โBut this is all a reflection on myself. I asked what I wanted as a person. I was open with Urs (Kuratle, Porsche’s Director of Factory Racing) and Thomas (Laudenbach, vice president of Porsche Motorsport), I asked to leave, they listened to what I had to say and accepted my decision. After 11 years you have to realize what makes you happy in racing and life, and I need a new challenge.
โI got the chance to race with one of the biggest manufacturers worldwide. But that doesnโt mean itโs all easy or perfect. When you are somewhere for a long time there are aspects that donโt go the way you want them and make you want change.
โThis all came step by step. For sure the hard season with car No.5 this year hasnโt helped because I felt that problems we had took too long to fix.โ
Makowiecki’s decision to end his long relationship with Porsche stemmed largely from the desire to try something new. Image via Porsche AG
Reports out of France suggest that heโs heading to Alpine, though nothing has been announced at this point. The Frenchman was not willing to go into detail or disclose plans for the future when RACER spoke to him this week.
โLetโs finish here first. There are plenty of rumors,โ he said. โWe are in a world where people are convinced of something even if they are just suspicious. At the moment nothing is confirmed, letโs finish with Porsche first. For sure I will not retire, I want to be on the grid but with a slightly different approach to the last couple of years.โ
Have these situations been tough to manage at Porsche and Penske, with the season reaching its natural crescendo and plenty still to play for?
โNot at all, theyโve been acting 100 per cent professional all the way through, which is great to see,โ Laudenbach told RACER. โThey are giving everything here for themselves and the team. For sure itโs a special situation, but it occurs on a regular basis in our job.โ
On the other side of the coin, thereโs Julien Andlauer. The Frenchman is primed to step up to the factory roster after rising up the ranks via the brandโs junior program and is eager to get the 2025 campaign โ which he will spend racing alongside Michael Christensen in the WEC โ going.
In amongst the galaxy of stars in Hypercar this season, the 25-year-old has found ways to stand out, which is particularly impressive considering heโs been driving a customer-run Porsche 963 all year and had no previous prototype experience to build on heading into the campaign.
His performance during the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps back in May was perhaps the most memorable of his career to date. In that outing he steered Protonโs Porsche to the front of the field, making a number of daring overtakes along the way. It turned heads and is still referenced in conversations across the WEC paddock to this day.
Did that get the phone ringing and seal his fate?
โFor sure it helped!โ he laughed. โBut this year I had amazing teammates in Neel (Jani) and Harry (Tincknell) who helped me improve all year. Being fast is not the only thing, you have to be the complete package in and out of the car, which is what Iโve focused on. I knew I needed to be a smart driver.
โI kept in contact with Porsche all year and at one point they said they were considering me, without putting pressure on. They just wanted me to get experience. They knew changes would happen, but couldnโt confirm anything until meetings around Petit Le Mans. Originally I was given indications I may do IMSA, but in the end, I will be in the WEC.โ
Either way, Andlauer has been chosen to bolster Penskeโs line-up and help it fight for a world title and the 963โs first Le Mans win. And having already spent a full WEC season driving the car under his belt, he has an opportunity to make an impact straight away.
โItโs a super program to join and the timing is amazing, they struggled a lot last year but theyโve been fantastic this year,” he said. “I will arrive with my backpack full of experience and try to get straight on the same level as the others. I know I just need to keep doing what I am doing and see if it matches with the big boys.โ