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WEC

Gallery: The fairytale story of Porsche's return to WEC and Le Mans

From zero to world champion in four years: Motorsport.com shows the success story of Porsche in the World Endurance Championship and 24 Hours of Le Mans since 2011!

Stefan Ehlen
Stefan Ehlen
Edited:
Porsche 919 Hybrid
2013: The 919 Hybrid gets first run
In March 2013, Porsche protege Timo Bernhard took the 919 Hybrid for its first run at the circuit in Weissach.
2013: Preparation continues
Porsche continued testing on various race tracks in different countries as drivers Neel Jani, Mark Webber, Brendon Hartley and Marc Lieb were announced for 2014.
2014: February presentation
The Porsche 919 Hybrid was presented alongside the 911 RSR at the International Auto Salon in Geneva, with Bernhard/Hartley/Webber and Dumas/Jani/Lieb officially confirmed as the crews for the two cars.
2014: Maiden podium for Porsche at Silverstone
The German giant notched up the 919 Hybrid's first podium finish with the #20 car of Bernhard/Hartley/Webber in the 6 hours of Silverstone.
2014: First 919 Hybrid pole at Spa
After Silverstone, the team quickly reached another milestone with their first pole at Spa - this time with the #14 of Jani/Lieb/Dumas.
2014: A tough time in the 24 Hours of Le Mans
The #14 of Jani/Lieb/Dumas finished 11th overall and fifth in the LMP1 category after suffering gearbox issues. However, the real heartbreak had to do with #20 of Bernhard/Hartley/Webber, which had to retire from second place due to engine failure with less than two hours to go.
2014: First fastest lap of return campaign comes at Fuji
Mark Webber, driver of the #20, produced the 919 Hybrid's first fastest lap of the race at Fuji.
2014: Double podium in Bahrain
The German squad was edging closer and closer to a first win. In Bahrain, Porsche locked out all the steps on the podium but the top one.
2014: Last chance yields first win
The WEC season finale - the 6 Hours of Sao Paulo - was Porsche's final chance to claim a win in its return year - and it was a chance taken by the #14 of Jani/Lieb/Dumas.
2014: Webber's monster shunt
For the other side of the garage, however, the campaign ended on a sour note with a massive crash for Mark Webber - who, thankfully, escaped unijured.
2015: Formula 1 ace Nico Hulkenberg signs up for Le Mans
Entering a third car part-time, Porsche secured the signature of the highly-rated Nico Hulkenberg - a decision that, in hindsight, paid massive dividend to both sides.
2015: The three cars take to the track together
The three Porsche 919 Hybrids were out on track against each other for the first time in the 6 Hours of Spa. They finished 1-2-3 in qualifying and were second, third and sixth in the race.
2015: Le Mans pole record is broken
In preparation for the season's biggest race, Neel Jani, driver of the #18 car, clocked a time of 3m16.887s, smashing the seven-year-old Le Mans pole record.
2015: Historic win at Le Mans
The #19 car, piloted by the Le Mans LMP1 debutant trio of Bamber/Hulkenberg/Tandy, delivered a shock to the system by taking a popular win in the 2015 24 Hours of Le Mans.
2015: The #17 trio goes to the top
A strategic swap towards the end of the 6 hours of Fuji saw the #17 of Bernhard/Hartley/Webber win the race ahead of #18 Jani/Lieb/Dumas - with the #17 trio taking a lead of one point in the drivers' championship.
2015: Manufacturers' crown
Less than two years after making its competitive debut, the 919 Hybrid wrapped up Porsche's first WEC crown as the marque recorded its third 1-2 of the season at Shanghai.
2015: Drivers' title?
Hartley/Webber/Bernhard are now one race away from completing Porsche's dream year, 12 points up on Audi trio Lotterer/Fassler/Treluyer with 26 left up for grabs.
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