– Porsche Penske Motorsport is fundamentally reshaping its driver lineup for the upcoming IMSA SportsCar Championship race on the infield course of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Read more Madrid Premiere: What to Expect from the Newest Formula 1 Track
As the factory team officially announced, Laurin Heinrich will start in the Porsche 963 #6 instead of Laurens Vanthoor in the two-hour and 40-minute race on September 20. Heinrich will share the car on the traditional course in the US state of Indiana with Kevin Estre. This means Heinrich will now also pilot the third Porsche 963 in the current season.
The driver swap is a targeted tactical move to maximize Porsche’s chances in the fight for the title in the GTP class. Heinrich is currently the highest-ranked Porsche driver in the championship standings before the penultimate race of the season.
With currently 118 points behind the leader Jack Aitken in the Cadillac V-Series.R from Action Express Racing, Porsche’s admittedly very theoretical title hopes rest mainly on the shoulders of the 25-year-old German. To provide him with the best possible equipment and full support from the factory team in the season finale, the team management has now responded.
For Heinrich, the nomination closes a circle for now in the current season. He started the year 2026 in the first two rounds of the Endurance Cup, the 24 Hours of Daytona and the 12 Hours of Sebring, in the factory car #7.
He then switched to the customer team JDC-Miller. There, he celebrated a much-noticed overall victory at Laguna Seca Raceway in the previous year’s Porsche 963 #5, among other achievements. With Heinrich’s return to the factory squad, a cockpit becomes free at the customer racing team: Nico Müller takes over the vacated seat in the privately entered Porsche.
Read more Aprilia develops further: The new tail that convinced Bezzecchi in Aragon
Urs Kuratle, head of LMDh factory motorsport at Porsche, confirms the focus on the title fight as the reason for the reshuffle: “We want to give Laurin Heinrich the best possible chances in the fight for the IMSA driver title and believe this is the best way to achieve that. It was not an easy decision. We thank Laurens Vanthoor for his understanding in this exceptional situation.”
Vanthoor says: “Unfortunately, the season so far for the #6 has not gone as we imagined. After the accident at Road America, we no longer have any title chances. Since Laurin is the best-placed Porsche driver in the championship, I am happy to make way for him so he has the chance to maximize his opportunities in our car.”
“I will be back at Petit Le Mans. We have set very high goals for this race because neither I nor Porsche Penske Motorsport have ever won this race. That will change this year. I wish Laurin much success at the race in Indianapolis.”
- Formula 1September 9, 2006: Lewis Hamilton wins the title in GP2
- Formula 1Son of Kimi Räikkönen becomes Red Bull junior
- Formula 1Madrid premiere: What to expect from the newest Formula 1 track
- MotoGPAprilia develops further: The new tail that convinced Bezzecchi in Aragon
Laurens Vanthoor will compete in the 2027 World Endurance Championship (WEC) for McLaren but is expected to remain connected to Porsche.
Read more Before Madrid debut: Who were the last 20 winners on new F1 tracks?
