First test of Porsche's LMDh planned before the end of 2021

Porsche does not only study on a potential return in Formula 1 for 2026. During his press conference, Thomas Laudenbach, the new boss of motorsport in Zuffenhausen, also spoke about a project with a much less distant future, the return to Endurance and 24 Hours of Le Mans. “The schedule is tight, but we are on schedule and we are making good progress”, estimates the man who joined Porsche in 1998. The first test of the future LMDh is therefore expected before the Christmas holidays.

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The native of Santiago de Chile will have his work cut out for him with numerous projects underway across the Rhine. In addition to the future prototype, the Formula E and the Mission R electric vehicle are also concerned with bridges between each project: “There are always connections. We exchange a lot of engineers between these different projects and I think it's extremely beneficial. Our engineers do not work on all projects at the same time, but on two or three. Particularly if you look at our factory program, we need that. I’m not saying it makes our lives easier, because it’s not the easiest route to go, but I think it’s really beneficial to have those connections, indeed.”

As for the drivers, no announcement will be made until the full line-up is finalized. However, Thomas Laudenbach confirmed that Yifei Ye, recently selected as Porsche Asia-Pacific driver, was a possibility:“The fact that he was chosen as a selected driver by Porsche Motorsport shows that he has potential, did he declare. For me it is much too early to say where this will lead, but for sure we have a long history of developing young drivers. I would love to have a Chinese driver in the LMDh project, but in the end a driver must be quick: we'll have to see how it behaves. »

Finally, he confirmed that Porsche's action plan involved allowing customer teams to run in WEC and IMSA from the start of 2023.