Sebastian Vettel gets back in the race car – The former Formula 1 world champion tests the works Porsche 963 in Spain
Penske-Porsche travels to Spain’s Motorland Aragon to test the works 963 and a prominent racing driver from Germany will take a seat in the cockpit: Sebastian Vettel. The four-time Formula 1 world champion has already completed a few test kilometers at Porsche in Weissach on Thursday, March 21, 2024, and will take part in the 36-hour endurance test in Spain.
The 53-time Formula 1 race winner is supporting the brand in its preparations for the 2024 24 Hours of Le Mans, which will take place as part of the endurance test in Spain. In addition to Vettel, Porsche works drivers Matt Campbell, Michael Christensen and Frederic Makowiecki as well as Kevin Estre, Andre Lotterer and Laurens Vanthoor will also be taking part.
The Porsche 963 is one of the new LMDh cars that will see the light of day in 2023 and will be used in both the World Endurance Championship (WEC) and the IMSA series. “I’m looking forward to testing the Porsche 963,” said Vettel in the Porsche press release. “I’ve already had the opportunity to get to know the car during a roll-out in Weissach. “
Vettel expresses interest in “other racing series “
“I’ve always followed other racing series and my curiosity for endurance racing encouraged me to give it a try,” Vettel continued. “Now I’m excited about the endurance race in Aragon and I’m looking forward to the time behind the wheel. It will certainly take some getting used to, but the whole team is very open and is helping me.”
But is Vettel’s intention behind the test to take part in endurance races in the future? The German is leaving that open for the time being, even if he has a broad grin on his lips in the official photos: “This will be a new experience for me. We’ll see what happens after that – at the moment, there are no further plans for the future. “
According to Porsche, Vettel has been preparing intensively for the marathon test in recent weeks. He sat in the simulator for the first time on March 15 to get used to the car. The day before, Vettel got to know the Penske-Porsche team. On March 21, the former Ferrari and Red Bull driver then sat in the Porsche 963 for the first time in reality to gain his first experience on the test track in Weissach
Porsche happy about Vettel test
“We are delighted that Sebastian Vettel is interested in our Porsche 963,” says Thomas Laudenbach, Head of Porsche Motorsport. “There was no question for us that we would be happy to support his request for a test opportunity and provide him with extensive preparation and sufficient time behind the wheel of our hybrid prototype – we can certainly learn a lot from his valuable feedback. Our 36-hour endurance race with Penske-Porsche and our works drivers at Motorland Aragon offers the perfect environment for this. “
Vettel had already been linked to the 24 Hours of Le Mans when talks were held with Porsche customer team Jota. However, no agreement was reached, which is why the German is not scheduled to drive for the racing team in the endurance classic in France.
