This year, Porsche is making a highly-anticipated return to the 24 Hours of Le Mans with the LMP1-class 919 hybrid. But if it wasn’t for Le Mans, you’d likely see the German automaker dip its toes into Formula 1 instead.
Speaking to Autosport (hat top to Car and Driver), Porsche research and development head Wolfgang Hatz said the automaker “would have had no alternative” but to enter F1 if Volkswagen didn’t approve its return to Le Mans.
“There were only two options: F1 or LMP,” Hatz said. “But Le Mans is our second home.” Hertz explained that there was a chance Volkswagen executives could’ve blocked Porsche in a bid to protect competition with Audi.
As a team, Porsche last raced in the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1998, where drivers Laurent Aïello, Allan McNish, Stéphane Ortelli won the race behind the wheel of the 911 GT1 prototype.
