Le Mans | Porsche plays it safe for the third 963, no Vettel

With the publication of the entry list for the 24h of Le Mans 2024, we also have the official announcement of the third Porsche Penske Motorsport crew that will be in action at the Circuit de la Sarthe in the 12-16 June event valid as the fourth round of the FIA World Endurance Championship.

As we have known for some time now, the German company has received an invitation for a third official 963 to be handled by the American team and Mathieu Jaminet was the first name confirmed for the wheel of the LMDh #4.

To be on the safe side and aim decisively for success, Felipe Nasr and Nick Tandy were placed alongside him, proposing the same trio that last year was in the race with the additional #75, choosing from the official drivers of the German-German team. American engaged in IMSA.

“I am very excited to return to Le Mans with the #4 car. Winning this race one day is still a childhood dream. Since I joined Porsche Penske Motorsport we have worked every day to achieve this goal and this year we have done a big step forward by optimizing our 963; we hope to be able to fight for the overall victory”, comments Nasr.

“The level of preparation behind the scenes is enormous. It’s fantastic to share the car with Nick and Mathieu again. The rivals are strong, but it’s a great moment for our sport in general, with so many highly professional manufacturers and teams competing. It will be a unique experience for fans to witness the greatest endurance race in the world.”

Tandy is also happy: “It is a privilege for all the teams and drivers to be able to compete at Le Mans, regardless of the year and the category. I am therefore excited to return in 2024 and to be able to try to win the overall again with Porsche is certainly something very special to me.”

“When the organizers granted us the third entry, they made what was a truly special IMSA season even more interesting. But there is no doubt that we are going there to win. We want to achieve the best result for Porsche Penske Motorsport.”

Dane Cameron was finally designated as a reserve, last year among the WEC starters and now back to compete in the Stars and Stripes series.

The official announcement from the three Porsche-Penske teams also confirms that Sebastian Vettel will not be behind the wheel for this edition of Le Mans. The German had tested the 963 in Aragon and consequently all kinds of rumors began to circulate about his involvement in the 92nd edition of the French classic.

In reality, the 4-time F1 World Champion himself had reiterated from the first day and on several occasions that his interest was primarily in knowing the car and structures well, but that with only one endurance test available (as required by the WEC regulations ) certainly could not aspire with certainty to a presence in France, which however cannot be ruled out in the future.

Sebastian Vettel, Porsche 963

Photo by: Porsche Motorsport

“By fielding the third car at Le Mans, we want to maximize our chances of achieving the twentieth overall victory for Porsche. That’s why we rely on experienced and fast drivers,” underlines Thomas Laudenbach, Vice President of Porsche Motorsport.

“In recent months, Mathieu, Felipe and Nick have consistently impressed with strong performances in IMSA. The three are a certainty in the Porsche 963. I am convinced that we are perfectly prepared for the highlight event in June. We want to win, there can be no other way goal for Porsche!”

Urs Kuratle, Director of the Official LMDh Program at Porsche Motorsport, adds: “After announcing the entry of a third car at Le Mans, we still had two places available. The decision was not an easy one for us, given our very strong team and equally expert.”

“In the end, one of the decisive factors was the experience at Le Mans. Nick participated there eleven times and won with Porsche in 2015. Felipe has four races under his belt at Sarthe. Furthermore, the trio amazed us with excellent lap times and great team work during their adventure together at Le Mans in 2023.”