Synonymous with motorsport all over the world, there are few brands bigger than Porsche.
The Stuttgart marque is the most successful overall manufacturer ever in both the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the 24 Hours of Daytona with 19 and 23 wins, respectively. Porsche engines also powered Alain Prost and Niki Lauda to Formula One world championships in the 1980s.
Today, Porsche competes in Formula E , which it committed to until the end of the 2025/26 season last July, ending speculation that it could leave the all-electric series. The German carmaker also features in the World Endurance Championship (WEC) in partnership with Penske Autosport (while also supplying customer teams) and stages one-make championships around the world, most notably the Porsche Supercup, which supports Formula One.
To find out more about the growth of the company’s one-make series, the importance of promoting sustainability through Formula E, and future expansion opportunities, BlackBook Motorsport talks to Michael Dreiser, director of motorsport sales at Porsche Motorsport.
How do you balance the different requirements of your one-make series?
It is indeed a broad approach which Porsche Motorsport is taking, from clubsport to the highest levels of international open competition, even fielding factory cars alongside customers. It is very important for us to underline that motorsport is the core of our brand, and the broad customer approach has always been our philosophy.
Of course, this requires good resource planning and a well-rounded set of staff who consistently monitor what is needed where and when, aligning these needs with the internal planning. In this business, surprises in any shape or form can happen at any time, we know that we have to be creative and flexible enough to handle individual situations.
What role do your one-make championships play in your overall strategy?
The one-make series have formed the base of our customer motorsport activities for a very long time. In my view, a one-make format provides a fair sporting challenge, combined with the maximum stability when it comes to regulations and the cost of racing.
Plus, the learning curve of teams and drivers is really steep, especially with the [Porsche] 911 not being the easiest car to drive. The Porsche one-make series have also brought out a lot of young talents who are now earning their money in professional motorsport. Porsche Motorsport without its one-make series is something I cannot really imagine.
#PorscheMobil1Supercup – In the 2023 @PorscheSupercup season, 16 different teams fielded up to four #Porsche #911GT3Cup cars. This included the #Supercup’s own squad, which campaigned the VIP 911 twice for ex-@F1 driver @realTimoGlock pic.twitter.com/9au2np1Hdx
— Porsche Motorsport (@PorscheRaces) January 9, 2024
How have the one-make championships evolved over time?
We have grown the one-make series consistently over time and the demand out there is increasing, so we are working on future projects already. But the series have not just grown in terms of the number of events or the grid size, we are constantly evaluating what we do and looking to optimise.
This can take the form of keeping the cost of racing under control, maximising efficiencies in our processes and procedures, and technological improvements or pushing for more sustainable approaches.
The Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup plays a vital role as we try to establish new standards, which then usually get adopted by the Carrera Cups, Challenges and Trophies.
How important is competing in Formula E for your sustainability messaging?
Formula E plays an integral role in our strategy. As the road car market shifts towards electric cars, in an attempt to cut down on CO2 emissions, we believe that racing with fully electric cars is an area where we can develop these technologies through competition.
To have a platform where Porsche can compete against other fully electric manufacturers is extremely important, especially as there are not too many relevant platforms for us today.
We are working in parallel on the possible electrification of our GT race cars as well, and we are actively showing our GT4 e-Performance prototype to engage in that dialogue with our customers. But it will take some time until we see the first customer-ready, electric-powered GT race cars.
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How are the changing global sustainability requirements influencing your strategy for the future?
Ecological sustainability is something we all need to consider as much as possible. Motorsport will play an important role here. In certain areas, positive developments are already on their way. It will not happen overnight, but it is important to constantly keep working on improving in that area.
Being one of the bigger players in motorsport, I do think that we also have a certain responsibility. One big step is to have the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup powered exclusively by nearly CO2-neutral fuel from the Chilean eFuels pilot plant ‘Haru Oni’ from this season.
The plant is the result of a joint initiative between Porsche, the Chilean company HIF Global, and international partners such as Siemens Energy. HIF Global runs the facility.
Do you see a future in esports, or did the pandemic artificially inflate interest?
I do believe that esports will play a big role in helping to create the general awareness and interest in motorsport – especially with the younger generations. We also see some really great talent developing there.
It would be unfair to compare it directly with the real world, where the industry has had one hundred years to develop. Esports is still in its early developing stage, and there is still great potential.
Porsche was poised to enter Formula One in partnership with Red Bull, but the two parties could not agree on an ownership split. Jim Farley (right), chief executive of Ford, secured a deal with the team instead.
Is there a future in Formula One for Porsche? Your deal with Red Bull fell through, but is there an alternative option? Is it the be-all and end-all?
Motorsport will always be at the core of our brand identity. Formula One remains an interesting racing series for us. For the next few years, we are concentrating on the current factory programmes with the Porsche 963 in WEC and the IMSA series, as well as in Formula E with the Porsche 99X Electric.
There, we want to fight for overall victories. That is our tradition and our main focus, and we do not comment on speculation beyond that.
What does the future hold for Porsche Motorsport then?
I am confident that the future for us and our customers will be bright. We have great ideas regarding future products.
We believe that we will be able to offer competitive race cars and as we are in a very direct dialogue with our customers, we will ensure that we will push the right buttons and take the right decisions. Ultimately, you cannot abandon your brand identity.
Michael Dreiser is a member of the BlackBook Motorsport Advisory Board, consisting of senior figures across motorsport series, teams, brands, and circuits. It serves as an independent working group, exploring matters that are important to the industry both now and in the future. To find out more, click here.