Porsche is on the verge of completing a monumental feat in the 2024 FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) after a stellar performance at the 6 Hours of Fuji. The legendary German automaker is poised to claim every WEC title available, thanks to dominant drives across multiple categories.
In the Hypercar class, the No. 6 Porsche Penske Motorsport 963, driven by Laurens Vanthoor, Andre Lotterer, and Kevin Estre, secured a crucial win from fifth on the grid. This victory has given the trio a commanding 35-point lead in the championship standings with just one race left, the Bahrain finale, where 39 points are up for grabs. Barring a disaster, the drivers’ title is all but theirs.
Vanthoor expressed the team’s strategy, explaining, “In Brazil and America, we played it safe, but today, we needed to push. Things felt right, and we capitalized.”
The only hiccup in their race was an off-track moment when Estre’s foot slipped due to an AC liquid leak late in the race. Despite this, their overall performance, including a win in Qatar and multiple podiums this season, has put them in a strong position for the title.
Meanwhile, Ferrari’s No. 50 Hypercar trio—Miguel Molina, Antonio Fuoco, and Nicklas Nielsen—endured a rough race, finishing ninth. Despite leading briefly after a strategic tire gamble, Ferrari struggled with pace, especially after a safety car period. With a 27-point deficit in the manufacturers’ championship, Ferrari’s hopes are now tied to a miracle in Bahrain.
Ferrari’s endurance boss, Ferdinando Canizzo, admitted, “It’s game over unless something dramatic happens.”
Toyota, aiming for a home win at Fuji, saw its No. 7 car retire after Kamui Kobayashi collided with a Porsche late in the race, leaving their title hopes in tatters. Toyota now trails Porsche by 10 points in the manufacturers’ championship, a stunning blow for a team used to dominating.
The No. 12 Hertz Team JOTA Porsche 963 also brought home the Hypercar World Cup for private teams, wrapping up a stellar season with a fifth-place finish at Fuji. The JOTA trio of Norman Nato, Will Stevens, and Callum Ilott benefited from the No. 83 AF Corse Ferrari’s misfortune to clinch the title.
Porsche’s success wasn’t limited to Hypercar, as Manthey Pure Rxcing’s No. 92 911 LMGT3 R secured both the teams’ and drivers’ titles in LMGT3. Drivers Joel Sturm, Alex Malykhin, and Klaus Bachler executed a brilliant race strategy, with Malykhin running long stints to give Bachler fresh tires for a late-race charge. A perfectly timed safety car helped seal their second-place finish, crowning them as champions in their debut season.
Porsche’s dominance across the WEC this year has been nothing short of spectacular. Pure Rxcing’s LMGT3 title win and JOTA’s Hypercar World Cup victory have laid the groundwork for what could be a historic clean sweep for the German marque.
With the Bahrain finale looming, all eyes are on Penske and the No. 6 Porsche to finish the job and cement Porsche’s place in WEC histor
