WEC: Porsche Exits, Two New Brands step in

There is now exactly one month left until the final race of the 2025 WEC Championship in Bahrain.
Ferrari with the 499P, Porsche with the 963, and Cadillac with the V-Series.R will battle for the constructors’ title, although Ferrari currently holds a solid lead.

The Stuttgart-based manufacturer managed to reduce the gap thanks to their victory in Austin, where they finished ahead of Ferrari #50 and Peugeot #94. With only one race remaining, Porsche trails at 165 points, while Ferrari tops the standings with 204 points.
A challenging target for the German team, but not impossible as the November 8 finale approaches.

The headline news, which we have already discussed in recent days, is the departure of Porsche 963 factory cars from Team Penske. A decision driven by the brand’s strategy focusing more on the North American market and the development of electric vehicles.

It is a significant loss that will be felt in the next WEC season.
Could Porsche change its mind in the future? We certainly hope so.
Meanwhile, let’s take a look at which manufacturers will enter the world’s most famous endurance championship in 2026 and 2027.

Genesis and McLaren in 2026 and 2027

In 2026, alongside Porsche’s exit, the highly anticipated debut of Genesis, Hyundai’s flagship brand, will take place with its Hypercar GMR-001.
Team Genesis Magma Racing will field two cars in the Hypercar class, fully supported by Hyundai Motorsport.

At the heart of the new car is an internally developed V8 engine, tested together with the full vehicle package in recent months at the Circuit Paul Ricard.
Drivers André Lotterer and Pipo Derani completed over 500 laps during the test sessions, with support from IDEC Sport to refine certain technical and operational skills.

McLaren joins WEC Hypercar class

An even more anticipated debut is set for 2027. McLaren, already competing in the LMGT3 category of the WEC, will enter the Hypercar class with its new car, unveiled a few months ago by CEO Zak Brown.
The car is expected to be powered by a 3.0-liter six-cylinder turbo hybrid engine.

This marks a return to endurance racing for the British manufacturer, which previously won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1995 with the F1 GTR.
The project, named Project: Endurance, involves the creation of an LMDh prototype developed in collaboration with United Autosports and built by Dallara, the Italian company renowned for excellence in safety and performance engineering.

So, all that’s left to do is: wait until November 8 for the grand finale of the 2025 WEC, prepare for the Genesis debut and Porsche’s exit in 2026, and hope that McLaren will bring even more excitement to this extraordinary championship, now followed by millions of fans worldwide.
And, of course, make sure to attend one of the track events next season!