“It was fun!” »: Vettel completes his test aboard the Porsche 963 with a smile

From this private test on the Motorland Aragon circuit, several photos, some information and above all a smile emerge: that of Sebastian Vettel, visibly delighted by his experience aboard the Porsche 963. And also, a few words: “It was fun!” » The German drove a Hypercar for the first time, during a test day in Spain where Porsche Penske Motorsport carried out a 36-hour endurance simulation with its car and its six official drivers.

The four-time world champion Formula 1 was not idle and completed 118 laps, or 581 kilometers. Simple coincidence or true symbol: it was on board the No. 5 Porsche that Sebastian Vettel experienced his first time behind the wheel of a prototype of the WEC. No time has been communicated by Porsche, but the main thing is elsewhere: yes, the ex-Formula 1 driver seems to have enjoyed his baptism ofEndurance !

#Porsche963 – Test drive successfully completed: #F1 World champion #SebastianVettel has completed a total of 118 laps or 581 kilometers in the #Porsche #Hypercar @AragonMotorLand. His comment with a smile on his face? “That was fun!”#Raceborn #PorschePenskeMotorsport pic.twitter.com/TPTgHe7JEU

— Porsche Motorsport (@PorscheRaces) March 26, 2024

An experiment “fun and different” with Porsche for Vettel

“Of course, I keep an eye on other motorsport disciplines and I know many drivers who are active in the WEC and at Le Mans. At one point, my curiosity was so great that I had the idea to try it myself. Porsche gave me the opportunity to test a current hypercar with the 963, confided Sebastian Vettel after his run. After the seat adjustment, the simulator session and the taxi ride in Weissach, I already had a good feeling. Driving the Porsche 963 on the Aragon circuit was really fun. First I had to get used to everything and find my rhythm. The driving experience is different, simply because of the roof over your head, the higher weight and the tires. The official Porsche drivers helped me a lot and explained to me what was special and what I had to get used to. It made my job easier. »

“The presence of Sebastian Vettel is a unique opportunity for the team, added Jonathan Diuguid, Managing Director of Porsche Penske Motorsport. He is a four-time Formula 1 world champion. He has extensive experience in hybrid systems and high-performance racing cars. Having his fresh and unique perspective on the condition of the car and giving his opinion on our systems and performance is a unique opportunity. We are happy to have him among us. He got out of the car with a smile, which is a good thing. »

It remains to be seen whether this private test convinced Sebastian Vettel to go further with Porsche. As a reminder, rumors had strongly swelled in the WEC paddock, in 2023, for a possible participation of the German driver in the 2024 World Endurance Championship in the Hypercar category with the Hertz Team JOTA.

This ultimately did not see the light of day… but the Vettel – Porsche association for the next 24H of Le Mans resurface following this test organized this week. A possibility for the moment put aside by the main interested party. “We will then see what happens, for the moment there are no other plans for the future”, he assured last Friday.

To the two official Porsches already entered in the WEC, a third Porsche Penske Motorsport will be added at Le Mans, in which only Mathieu Jaminet has been confirmed for the moment. One of the two missing drivers could be Thomas Preining: the 2023 champion of the DTM will join the six official Porsche drivers in Aragon this week for the continuation of private testing.

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