Neel Jani surprised by the failure of the Proton-Porsche 2026 program

The end of the adventure Porsche in the Hypercar category of the World ChampionshipEndurance This also results in Neel Jani's absence from the grid for the next season of the WECThe 2016 world champion nevertheless believed in Proton Competition's project to enter two German prototypes in order to maintain the Stuttgart firm's presence under a private banner.

« I definitely won't be in the WEC next season. » Jani told Sportscar365. " For a long time, [Proton's chances of remaining on the grid] seemed very good: everything was in place and there was strong support from many parties, including the ACO. Chris [Ried] was very positive, and all the signs we were getting were pointing in the right direction, so I committed to it. Several different people were involved, so it could have been a really great project. Obviously, its failure surprised a lot of people.  Ultimately, Porsche decided not to remain in the WEC, which impacted support for customer teams. This is therefore regrettable. »

As a reminder, following Porsche Penske Motorsport's withdrawal from the WEC, Christian Ried did everything he could to save his customer Hypercar program for 2026. However, this required him to find the resources to field a second car, as mandated by the championship regulations. Despite significant behind-the-scenes support, no viable solution was found.

Proton Competition's last season in Hypercar was complicated with only one entry in the top ten for the trio formed by Neel Jani, Nico Pino and Nicolás Varrone, at the 6 Hours of São Paulo (10th).

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