Diuguid: Wehrlein “Checked All the Boxes” for Final Porsche Seat

Photo: Porsche

Pascal Wehrlein “checked all the boxes” for Porsche Penske Motorsport to enlist the reigning ABB FIA Formula E world champion in the team’s third Porsche 963 for the 24 Hours of Le Mans according to managing director Jonathan Diuguid, who revealed that he’s already been integrated into the team’s FIA World Endurance Championship testing program.

The 30-year-old German, who made his race debut with the Porsche LMDh car in January’s Rolex 24 at Daytona with customer squad JDC-Miller Motorsports, was understood to have been the leading contender to fill the third and final seat in Porsche Penske’s third Hypercar entry for Le Mans, alongside IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship regulars Nick Tandy and Felipe Nasr.

However, the German manufacturer placed fellow Porsche-contracted Formula E driver Nico Mueller in JDC-Miller’s entry in last month’s Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring, prior to confirming Wehrlein for the seat.

“It’s something we don’t take lightly because Le Mans is such a huge focus for the program,” said Diuguid.

“We wanted to make sure we went through all of the steps and gave himself and other drivers opportunities to get a feeling for the car over the past year-and-a-half, not just in the last few months.

“Pascal is doing a great job in Formula E for Porsche and obviously won the drivers’ world championship at the end of 2024.

“The opportunities he’s had to drive and test the car here in the last three months, he’s done a great job.

“He checked all the boxes that we needed and we’re excited to have him on the program and think he’s going to do really well there.”

Diuguid said that Wehrlein will be part of Porsche Penske’s WEC testing program in the coming months in order to help give him more track time with the car ahead of his Le Mans debut in June.

“He has been and will be,” said Diuguid on Wehrlein’s testing program. “Basically any testing opportunity.

“He’s testing in Spa on Friday and Saturday, as an example, with the WEC program, to give him as much seat time as possible and also exposure to different types of circuits and how the systems work on the car.

“Pretty much any testing opportunity or opportunity that’s available that doesn’t clash with his Formula E commitments, he’s doing it.”

While Porsche Penske’s third car effort at Le Mans will remain largely unchanged from the previous two editions, Diuguid did confirm that the chassis will be built up at the team’s WEC headquarters in Mannheim, Germany instead of its U.S. base in Mooresville, N.C.

“One of the main differences is that the third car is going to be built and assembled in Mannheim with our WEC program,” he said.

“In previous years we’ve built the car in the U.S. and have shipped it over.

“Looking at the testing calendar and the timing of everything, the logistics there just didn’t put us in the best position to be successful.

“So we’re changing that slightly.

“It’s still being assembled partially with U.S. mechanics and U.S. engineers who are going over after the Laguna Seca race for a week-and-a-half to help the WEC program.

“That’s probably the main difference. Aside from that, it’s all quite similar.”

Source: Sports Car 365