Last Saturday, after an underwhelming and frustrating race in which it finished 13th and 14th, Porsche Penske Motorsport officially ended its World Endurance Championship programme.
Over three seasons, the factory 963s claimed three wins, a pole position, a runner-up finish at the Le Mans 24 Hours, and a world championship title for its drivers.
But is that really the end of the German LMDh in the WEC? Despite significant financial, logistical and, above all, regulatory hurdles, the prospect of seeing Porsche 963s in the WEC and on the grid at the Le Mans 24 Hours next year is still alive.
Who's pulling the strings
It's no secret that Roger Penske is obsessed with the Le Mans 24 Hours. 'The Captain' considers his trophy cabinet won't feel complete until it holds that famous trophy handed to the winners of the endurance classic. That, above all else, was the motivation behind his partnership with Porsche.
So his disappointment was immense when he learned that the WEC programme would be shut down, and even greater when he was told his Le Mans dream would have to be shelved due to regulatory complications. Under current rules, Penske can only take up IMSA's automatic Le Mans invitation if at least two Porsche 963s are entered for the full WEC season.
But Penske has not given up. Word is that he has already started working on a solution, and he's not alone. One of his allies is Christian Ried, the boss of Proton Competition, another casualty of Porsche's withdrawal. For Proton to stay on the WEC grid, the privateer outfit would have to double its resources, run a second 963, and convince Porsche to pay the mandatory entry fee for manufacturers.
A third key figure involved is "Ferdi" Porsche, son of Wolfgang Porsche (chairman of Porsche AG's supervisory board and grandson of company founder Ferdinand Porsche). Ferdi also happens to run FAT Turbo, which has been a partner of Proton Competition since last year.
The plan
Will it all come together? There's no certainty yet, and plenty of details remain unclear. But something is clearly happening behind the scenes. Multiple meetings between the parties and the regulators reportedly took place last week in Bahrain.
The outline of the plan seems simple enough: Roger Penske could discreetly partner with Proton Competition to form a joint team capable of running two Porsche 963s in the WEC - solving both his and Proton's problems in one move. That would meet the two-car requirement and reopen the Le Mans door.
Under what name? That's still to be decided. 'Team Penske' won't appear on the official entry, to avoid any confusion, but Porsche must be listed. Indeed, Article 3.1.5 of the WEC sporting regulations stipulates that "for competitors entered with a manufacturer's licence in the Hypercar category, the name of the brand must be present in the wording of the official competitor name". The team would, however, need to rebuild significantly, as the Mannheim-based Porsche Penske Motorsport operation has lost most of its key staff.
If the entry of two 963s in WEC is confirmed, Team Penske would then be eligible to take up its Le Mans invitation earned through its IMSA titles. Could it go further and request a second Le Mans entry? Possibly, though with the number of entries expected, there's no guarantee the selection committee would grant it.
Logistically, it wouldn't be straightforward. IMSA will race in Detroit on May 30, just a week before the Le Mans Test Day, and then at Watkins Glen two weeks after the 24 Hours. But for Team Penske, "difficult" doesn't mean "impossible".
The entire plan, however, can't go ahead without Porsche's approval. Ultimately, the decision rests in the hands of the board in Stuttgart.
Why Porsche has every reason to say yes
At Petit Le Mans, Porsche vice-president Thomas Laudenbach said: "The decision not to participate in 2026 with our factory team has absolutely no effect on our customer programme."
That's not entirely true, since Proton Competition's ambitions were effectively curtailed by the decision, as the team had no intention of running two cars in 2026 due to financial constraints.
"If a customer asks us for help, we will always be prepared to help," Laudenbach added. "We are always happy to help our customers."
Here lies the perfect opportunity for Porsche to prove it, and to remind the racing world that its customer racing expertise, which has been central to its legacy, remains at the core of its DNA. But of course, it's not that simple.
Inside Porsche, the project is divisive, with several members reportedly opposed. Administratively, it would count as a full manufacturer entry, meaning the cars would score points in the manufacturers' championship rather than the teams' classification. As mentioned, the name Porsche would have to appear on the licence.
Would Porsche really re-enter the WEC manufacturers' championship only weeks after officially withdrawing? The irony would be hard to ignore. Communication experts would have quite a job clarifying that the parent company isn't directly involved.
And what name would the Le Mans entry carry if the IMSA invitation were taken up? Porsche Penske Motorsport? Team Penske? Either way, Porsche would be unwise to shut the door, or further alienate Roger Penske, who, after all, remains the brand's largest dealer worldwide.
It's also worth noting that Porsche's WEC withdrawal never explicitly ruled out an appearance at the 2026 Le Mans 24 Hours. So why not?
Finally, it would help repair relations with the ACO and FIA after a bruising few months. Porsche has no interest in antagonising the governing bodies, especially given that one day, inevitably, it will return in full force to extend its record tally of Le Mans victories. The groundwork for that comeback could well begin now.
A long-standing bond
So why should Porsche object to several 963s competing in WEC and at Le Mans if it doesn't have to fund them? That's where internal criticism could arise, given the current financial climate and recent (and forthcoming) layoffs.
But historically, such arrangements have never bothered Porsche. Its uninterrupted Le Mans presence since 1951 has largely been made possible by customer teams. And when Porsche boasts of its 19 Le Mans victories, it includes those earned by Kremer Racing in 1979 and Joest Racing in 1984, 1985, 1996 and 1997. So why not let history repeat itself?
For the record, application files must be sent to the promoter no later than midday CET on November 27, with the full-season WEC entry list expected to be published a few days later.
So will we see two 963s on the 2026 WEC grid, joined by one or two Penske-run entries at the Le Mans 24 Hours? The coming days will decide but, as of now, the possibility remains real.
