Written by Aaron Carroll, Edited by Vyas Ponnuri
Coming off the back of a 2023 season that could be termed mediocre, at best, the factory Porsche squad were hoping for a turnaround in 2024.
And what a turnaround it was, the German manufacturer winning the drivers and manufacturers championships in WEC, totalling two wins and nine podiums in the eight races across the #5 and #6 cars. Porsche Penske Motorsport are sure to be happy with their performance.
The season began in Qatar in early March, and Porsche rocked up with two star-studded lineups to contest the season. Matt Campbell, Michael Christenen and Frédéric Makowiecki shared the #5 hypercar, while Laurens Vanthoor, Kevin Estre and Andre Lotterer piloted the #6 hypercar.
It would be the #5 car in the spotlight in Qualifying, straight out of the gate. The No 5 set the fastest time in hyperpole, starting at the head of the field. However, it would be the #6 leading the way in the race, after the #93 Peugeot took the lead followed by both Porsche Penske cars in formation behind.
A vibration issue for the #5 dropped them down the order, as the #6 fought with the #93 Peugeot for the remainder of the race. Eventually the Penske car overtook the Peugeot and began to pull away into the sunset in Qatar.
The #5 would fight back to fourth, but last lap mechanical drama for Peugeot promoted them onto the final step on the podium. A double podium for Porsche Penske — with the car in between being the #12 JOTA Porsche — a dream start to 2024 for the German marque.
Moving closer to home for the next race in Imola, it was Ferrari 1-2-3 in qualifying. However, with the #6 and #5 fourth and fifth respectively, and rain on the radar for the race, it was shaping up to be a thriller.
It was indeed a thrilling race, with changeable conditions throughout the race keeping drivers and teams alike on their toes for the full six hours. The rain caught out the Ferraris, who made the wrong strategy call and dropped down the order.
This left the #7 Toyota in the lead, chased on by the Porsche duo, once again the #6 ahead of #5. However it wasn’t to be for Porsche, as the Toyota crossed the line to win round two of the season.
Two double podiums from two races left Porsche Penske in the driver's seat of the championship.
Moving onto Spa, it was the #5 on pole for the second time in 2024, with the #6 further down in fifth. Qualifying delivered good signs for Porsche as a manufacturer, with the two Penske factory cars in first and fifth, the #99 Proton Porsche and #12 Jota cars third and fourth respectively.
That meant Porsche locked out four of the top five grid slots, only split by the #2 Cadillac in second.
The race itself proved manic. The pole-sitting #5 Porsche crashed out from third place early on, ending its chances at victory. With action up and down the field across the hypercar and LMGT3 classes, it was an all out battle in both classes for the rest of the race.
But in the second half of the race, the #2 Cadillac collided with an LMGT3 on the long Kemmel straight, and was sent into a massive high speed collision with the barriers.
While Cadillac driver Earl Bamber was okay, the barriers themselves weren’t, necessitating a red flag for the required fixes.
At the same time, the clock kept ticking towards the end of the race. Finally, race control reset the clock to just after the crash had occurred. After all repairs had been completed, it was all out racing to the flag.
Eventually, Hertz Team Jota #12 emerged victorious, with the #6 Porsche behind. The works Porsche hypercar extended their lead over the rest of the field in the standings, heading into the biggest race of the year, the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
The #5 car had a disappointing qualifying for the 24 hours, with all Porsche’s looking somewhat off the pace. This didn’t faze Kevin Estre in the #6 though, a stunning lap from the Frenchman put the car on pole for the world's greatest endurance race.
Close battles dotted the entire grid during the grand race, with the #6 Porsche in contention for a podium spot all race, despite not having the best pace to begin with.
After 24 hours of racing, it was ultimately the #50 Ferrari who would win out, with the #6 Porsche just missing out on third by just over a second.
The #5 would also finish on the lead lap in sixth, to round off a decent weekend for the German manufacturer, despite an inherent lack of pace compared to other cars.
With double points on offer however, that meant that the gap in the championship had closed right up, the #6 Porsche leading by just nine points over the #50 Ferrari, with the #7 Toyota a further eight points back heading into the second half of the season.
In São Paulo, Toyota stamped their authority over the events, reminiscent of that of their seasons before this golden age of endurance racing.
The Japanese marque secured a 1-2 on the grid, with the Porsche Penske duo in third and fifth, #5 ahead of #6.
Early in the race, misfortune struck the #6 Porsche, with multiple incidents dropping them down the order. Yet, brilliant drives from each of the three drivers lifted them back up to third going into the final hours.
They were promoted to second, after a technical issue for the leading #7 Toyota dropped them to fourth. At this point, the new leaders were the #8 Toyota, and then the #6 and #5 Porsches.
This result pushed the #6’s lead in the championship back up slightly, after Ferrari’s poor showing and the technical issues for the Toyota.
In the Lone Star Le Mans at the Circuit of the Americas, the two factory Porsches simply just lacked pace. Sixth for the #5 and a disappointing 14th for the championship leading #6 was the final result, as they finished behind their championship rivals.
A better race meant both cars scored points the #6 in sixth and the #5 in seventh. But for the #6 Porsche this wasn’t the result they had hoped for, with their championship rivals in second and third their lead took a hit going into the final two races in Fuji and Bahrain.
Hoping for a turnaround in Fuji after the disappointment in Texas, the #6 qualified fifth, with the #5 in eighth.
The #7 Toyota was in fourth just head of their rivals in the #6, with Ferrari showing a lack of pace, the Scuderia’s lead car only qualifying seventh.
Fortune would favour the #6 in the race as they crossed the line in P1, winning after six hours of hard racing.
It was an opposite feeling on the other side of the garage, however, as the #5 collided with the #7 Toyota, causing both cars to retire with damage. The #6 winning, coupled with a DNF for the Toyota and the #50 Ferrari in ninth meant Porsche had all but sealed the championship.
Hopes were high going into the season finale in Bahrain, with the #6 crew in prime position to seal the title. It was Toyota who would shine in qualifying though, with a 1-2. The two Porsche Penske cars would be sixth and seventh on the grid, heading into the final eight hours of racing of the season.
In the race, Toyota would snatch the manufacturers title off Porsche, with the #5 in second and the #6 in tenth, but the drivers title would go the way of Laurens Vanthoor, Kevin Estre and Andre Lotterer in the #6 Porsche Penske hypercar.
Overall, it was a brilliant season from Porsche Penske, missing out on only the manufacturers title and of course the overall win at Le Mans.
Porsche consistently emerged as one of the top teams all season long, missing out on the team's title by just two points in the end.
Going into 2025, Porsche will hope to continue their winning ways, with different driver lineups but the same winning mindset. Can they add the Manufacturers title and a Le Mans win to their resume? Only time will tell.
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