Sebastian Vettel to test Porsche 963 Hypercar ahead of Le Mans

This week, four-time Formula 1 World Champion Sebastian Vettel will get behind the wheel of the Porsche 963 Hypercar in Aragón, Spain as Porsche Penske Motorsport steams ahead with preparations for this year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans.

The German driver has already spent time in a simulator in preparation for the Spanish circuit and had his first laps in the hybrid prototype on the test track at Porsche’s R&D Centre in Weissach on March 21st. The 36-year-old doesn’t lack racing having started 299 Grand Prix in F1, though it has been a while since he has driven a car with a roof. He will be joined at the 5km circuit at Motorland Aragón by works drivers Matt Campbell (Australia), Michael Christensen (Denmark), Frédéric Makowiecki (France) Kévin Estre (France), André Lotterer (Germany) and Laurens Vanthoor (Belgium).

Porsche Penske Motorsport has competed in the North American IMSA sports car series and the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) since 2023 and began the 2024 season with wins in both championships. Porsche will be aiming to secure its 20th outright victory at Le Mans on 15-16 June.

“I’m looking forward to testing the Porsche 963. I already got the chance to get a feel for the car during a rollout in Weissach,” said Vettel. “I’ve always followed other racing series and my curiosity for endurance events encouraged me to just give it a shot. Now I’m excited about the long run in Aragon and I’m looking forward to my time behind the wheel. It’ll definitely take an adjustment and some getting used to but everyone in the team is very open and helps me. This will be a new experience for me. We will then see what happens next in this respect – at the moment there are no further plans for the future.”

words: Mike Booth
pictures: Porsche