Thomas Laudenbach (Porsche): “A compromise to be found between LMH and LMDh”

The 2025 World Championship seasonEndurance opened on Friday 28 February with the 1812 km of Qatar. An event largely dominated by Ferrari, the Italian manufacturer achieving a hat-trick at the end of the ten-hour race. Author of the same feat a year earlier, Porsche experienced more difficulties, with a 10th place for the n°5 of Julien Andlauer, Michael Christensen and Mathieu Jaminet as the best result.

A few hours before the start of the race, Thomas Laudenbach spoke to an audience of journalists from various international media, including AUTOhebdo. During this twenty-minute discussion, the vice-president of Porsche Motorsport discussed the future of the World Endurance Championship, outlining his preferences regarding the future regulations.

The current regulations of the Hypercar category (and GTP in IMSA) will remain in force until the end of the 2029 season, after a two-year extension announced on the sidelines 24 Hours of Le Mans last year. A decision widely welcomed by manufacturers already involved in competition, while encouraging others, such as Genesis and Ford, to launch respectively in 2026 and 2027. We also expect, in the coming weeks or months, a possible confirmation of the arrival of McLaren in the Hypercar category.

Laudenbach advocates for unified technical regulations

« The first thing is to stop talking about LMH and LMDh., Laudenbach believes. It makes sense to operate with limited technical freedom in order to control our budgets, that is a fundamental point. The LMP1 category was great from an engineering point of view, but we know how it ended. Maybe there is a compromise to be found between LMH and LMDh. For that, we would have to ask the LMH manufacturers what they need. »

« We should focus on building a healthy and stable platform, adds the German leader. I am not saying that we should only apply the LMDh rules. Let's just put these two platforms side by side and discuss between manufacturers what is important. It is possible to arrive at a single technical regulation. »

The future of the World Endurance Championship could also be in the wake of hydrogen technology. The Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO) is actively working on the arrival of a category of prototypes using this propulsion for the years to come, and manufacturers such as Toyota et Alpine have already expressed interest. However, this development risks adding a new layer of complexity to regulation and balance of performance.

« This is something that worries me., says Laudenbach on this subject. It's interesting to allow different concepts, but we see how difficult it is to balance these different technologies. We had a fairly well-managed equivalence in LMP1, but there were only three manufacturers. Now we have about ten and the level is extremely high. It's a very difficult task to have too many platforms to balance, especially with twenty cars. Everyone is at the limit, despite very professional teams. It's becoming more and more difficult on the track, and the difference is made on details. »

For Laudenbach, we must anticipate the future of Endurance

For the Vice President of Motorsport at Porsche, it is essential to anticipate future regulations now in order to lay solid foundations for the next decade of endurance racing.

« We must start now, because it will take months, if not longer, judge the person concerned. What we have in WEC is great. When you're in the stands and you see these twenty Hypercars passing by, it gives you goosebumps. However, we should not assume that everything is a given. The situation is not as stable as one might think, especially because the budgets are higher than expected. And this is not only the case for Porsche. »

« Components from common suppliers are ultimately more expensive over time, develops Laudenbach. Prices have gone up in recent years, and so have travel costs. That's a lot more than we anticipated when we were given the go-ahead to launch the 963 program. Of all the manufacturers competing, only one can go to his boardroom on Monday bragging about winning. »

« Now is the time to think about what we can do to keep this stable and healthy for the next generation, insists the vice-president of Porsche Motorsport. It would be a big mistake to sit back and rejoice in the situation. Not everyone has the same vision of what we should do. The best solution would be a manufacturer-led initiative, but that is not easy to coordinate. »

The message is clear: Endurance has certainly initiated a golden age that is probably unprecedented, but crucial decisions will have to be taken in the near future to preserve the competitiveness and sustainability of the discipline.

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