Heinrich joins Porsche Hypercar team for Bahrain

2025 IMSA GTD PRO champion Laurin Heinrich will make his FIA WEC Hypercar race debut in the 2025 season finale at Bahrain next month, in a factory 963 run by Porsche Penske Motorsport.

The 24-year-old German will take the seat that was filled by Michael Christensen for the first six rounds of the season in the No. 5, alongside Frenchmen Mathieu Jaminet and Julien Andlauer. The 8 Hours of Bahrain will be the second consecutive race that Christensen has missed, after IMSA testing commitments forced him to sit out September's race in Fuji, the 100th in WEC history.

Meanwhile, the debut for Heinrich follows his recent test in a 963 ahead of the IMSA finale at Road Atlanta.

“I’m extremely happy to announce that I will debut in FIA WEC at Bahrain, joining the No. 5 Porsche Penske Motorsport 963 in the Hypercar category,” Heinrich posted on social media. “I can’t express how excited and thankful I am for this opportunity! It will be my first FIA WEC race, my first race in a prototype, and my first time driving at the Bahrain circuit. So, therefore, a huge thanks to Porsche for having this much confidence in me!”

Andlauer, meanwhile, is set to make his return to racing after withdrawing from Petit Le Mans at the 11th hour with back pain. His presence at Bahrain also marks a return to a three-driver line-up at Porsche in each of its factory cars. The German factory scaled back to two-driver squads for the six-hour races at São Paulo and Fuji.

On the other side of the garage, Matt Campbell will rejoin Kévin Estre and Laurens Vanthoor in the No. 6 and help them in their bid to clinch the drivers' world championship.

Porsche, in its final start as a factory team in the FIA WEC's Hypercar class with the 963, has a chance to wrap up the Hypercar manufacturers' and drivers' titles. After Bahrain, the German marque is set to scale back its 963 program to IMSA GTP only.

It is not yet clear if a privately funded or works-supported effort will emerge to take Porsche Penske Motorsport's place in the top class and keep the German marque in Hypercar. Discussions are believed to be ongoing between multiple parties.

The final WEC event of the season will be held from Nov. 6-8 at the Bahrain International Circuit.