WEC 2024: Porsche Jota crews almost complete
In a contingent of nineteen Hypercars, from nine different manufacturers, the choice of drivers will be crucial. At Jota, which will be fielding an additional Porsche 963, the drivers are almost all known.
The mass arrival of manufacturers in the Hypercar category is accompanied by an increase in the grid in the premier class. It is not illogical for non-factory programs to also grow.
At Porsche, we are proceeding as in the days of the Group C: many private teams will accompany the official troops from Penske. Jota, in this case, will be reinforced by an additional 963, the No.12, which will run alongside its sister No.38.
The new private LMDh, the N°12, knows, in any case, the identity of the three men who will make it perform in WEC and at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Former Ferrari test driver, Callum Ilott, will be part of the team and will join an endurance Hypercar program for the first time. He will be accompanied by his compatriot Will Stevens, who is staying with the British team. Stevens also had a stint in F1 as a full-time driver, with Caterham towards the end of 2014 and Manor in 2015.
Finally, the N°12 crew will be completed by experienced French driver Norman Nato. He had only experienced the joys of the premier category once before, with Rebellion, during the last year of LMP1 in 2020.
Big changes at N°38
The LMDh, a neighbor in the garage, will see its crews largely revamped. Yifei Ye, the leader of the 24 Hours Centenary last June, will no longer be there, as he has joined the ranks of Ferrari, behind the wheel of the “private” 499P.
Instead, a brand new trio of drivers will come to give a boost to the N°38, which has often shown to be more comfortable than the official drivers. Oliver Rasmussen, winner of the 6 Hours of Monza in LMP2, will be duly rewarded for his promising career by joining the elite of endurance racing.
His second teammate will be a faithful of United Autosport: Phil Hanson, 24 years old. The British team will compete in LMGT3 with McLaren, while the winner of the 1,000 Miles of Sebring will drive a Hypercar for the first time in his young career.
But there is still one seat to be assigned. The rumors were swirling around Sebastian Vettel, whose news has subsided… but the name of Jenson Button, on the other hand, remains a probable possibility.
