Porsche Too Quits WEC; Is Formula E The Future?

Why do we race? It's fun, yes. But there is a deeper purpose. It pushes the boundaries of mechanics and technology in automobiles which at a later stage trickle down to the car you and I drive. Until a few years back, gasoline was the ultimate fuel and hence IC engines were the bomb. Therefore, the FIA World Endurance Championship was key in their development and progress. 

Now though, we have started looking towards Benjamin Franklin for the future of the automotive industry. So it only makes sense that racing too now is powered by electricity. Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Jaguar and Audi, all think the same and have made a move to Formula E. Following them is another auto giant - Porsche. The three-time Le Mans winner has decided to withdraw from the WEC in order to streamline efforts for its 2019 debut in the Formula E championship. 

And it's not like Porsche is stepping down because it wasn’t getting anywhere. From 2015 to date, Porsche won three consecutive Le Mans victories and three successive manufacturers’ world championship titles. Also, since the 919 racecar’s debut in 2014, the team did 34 races out of which they recorded 17 wins, with seven of them being one-two victories. Furthermore, 20 pole positions and 13 fastest race laps were achieved. Impressive, but it’s time to move on to the future. 

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This move comes soon after fellow Volkswagen carmaker Audi decided to make the shift and just after Mercedes-Benz decided to quit as well, leaving just Toyota in the championship. Now, it remains to be seen when the Japanese carmaker decides to embrace the future.

Oliver Blume, Chairman of the Executive Board of Porsche AG, had this to say for the shift: “No other Porsche team has ever managed three Le Mans outright victories in a row but this squad achieved it. I thank them very much for this. I’m extremely proud of every single team member. They have mastered a mammoth task with hard work, consistency and the right approach. To me, this represents the Porsche spirit that our brand stands for spanning almost 70 years. Now the team of Fritz Enzinger and Andreas Seidl face its new challenge: to enter Formula E for season number six at the end of 2019.”

With Formula 1 losing its grip on spectators and Formula E seeing big carmakers jump in, the electric championship seems to be evolving from street circuits and into a mainstream motorsport. The question is, how soon?