Last week, The Race revealed the behind-the-scenes story of a plan aimed at keeping Porsche 963s on the WEC grid following Porsche's decision to withdraw its factory effort.
But in this convoluted saga that has delivered its share of surprises and plot twists on an almost daily basis, a lot has naturally happened since.
So where do things stand now? What’s Porsche Motorsport’s position? And is there still any chance of seeing 963s on next year’s grid?
What we've learned since last week
After Bahrain, discussions continued behind closed doors. Internally at Porsche, the topic seems deeply divisive. And the announcement of a second factory Formula E team for 2026–27 has only poured fuel on the fire.
While the investments aren’t remotely comparable, many simply can’t understand how such an announcement could be made - especially just a month after the confirmation of the WEC exit - given the difficult period the brand is currently going through.
For many, none of this makes much sense, especially considering Porsche has scaled back its ambitions in electric mobility.
Unsurprisingly, the Penske/Proton project has sparked plenty of chatter in recent days, and so the question was put directly to Thomas Laudenbach, Porsche Motorsport vice-president.
“We agreed with Roger Penske not to pursue these plans any further,” he told Motorsport-Aktuell. “We examined all scenarios to help Roger Penske and came to the conclusion that a private team with Penske’s involvement could be seen as a Porsche return through the back door and would simultaneously dilute what we have achieved together in the World Championship as a factory team over the past three years, especially with a view to a factory effort at Le Mans.”
Taking Laudenbach’s words at face value, Proton Competition boss Christian Ried must now find the budget on his own to run two Porsche 963s and stay in Hypercar. As a reminder, he can no longer enter just one car now that Porsche Penske Motorsport has withdrawn.
Is there still a chance?
Roger Penske committed to the Porsche 963 programme for one reason only: to finally tick the box on his long-standing Le Mans 24 Hours dream. So it’s fair to say he did not appreciate the announcement that the WEC programme was ending, even less so when he learned of the conditions required to enter the 2026 Le Mans 24 Hours (13–14 June) without that programme.
So you can imagine his reaction when he was told Porsche would be fielding a second factory Formula E team. So has The Captain really and truly walked away from the mooted WEC project?
According to Laudenbach, yes. And as powerful as Penske is, it’s hard to imagine him going against decisions made by Porsche, still his IMSA partner, with shared industrial interests beyond motorsport.
Still, despite the blow, and with or without Penske’s backing, Ried hasn’t thrown in the towel and continues to push for a solution. Proton Competition hasn’t said its final word yet, and we can state, as of today, there is still a chance to see Porsche 963s on the WEC grid on next year’s WEC. Fans can still hope.
And if two 963s are indeed entered in the WEC, Porsche Penske Motorsport could then make use of its invitation to the 2026 Le Mans 24 Hours. Whether that actually happens is another matter. Roger Penske will want it – but what about Porsche? And as the Le Mans 24 Hours supplementary regulations specify, the selection committee reserves the right to reject an invitation if exceptional circumstances require it.
Why time is running out
When will we get an answer? What’s certain is that everything will be decided in the coming days. But once again - it is hard to see how this could move forward without Porsche’s approval.
Time, in any case, is running short. Entrants for the 2026 WEC season have only six days left to notify Le Mans Endurance Management, the series promoter. The WEC sporting regulations state that application dossiers must be returned to the promoter, in original form by post, completed and signed, postmarked no later than 27 November 2025 at midday CET.
A few days later, the 2026 WEC entry list will be released, expected in early December. And on that day, this entire soap opera will finally come to an end…
