Porsche said the decision was part of a “comprehensive realignment” and will condense its efforts in motorsport.

The German manufacturer will continue racing the 963 in the IMSA SportsCar Championship under the Porsche Penske Motorsport.

Porsche will also remain in the FIA Formula E World Championship as a factory team with its all-electric 99X.

“We very much regret that, due to the current circumstances, we will not be continuing our involvement in the WEC after this season,” said Dr Michael Steiner, member of the executive board for development at Porsche AG.

“In this competitive environment (Formula E), we will continue to drive forward the development of high-performance vehicles.”

Porsche has enjoyed Hypercar success in IMSA and WEC with its LMDh-spec car, winning both drivers’ championships in 2024.

“We use motorsport as a development platform for future technology and to illustrate the potential of our sports cars,” said Thomas Laudenbach, Porsche Motorsport vice president.

“With the Porsche 963 in the North American IMSA series and the Porsche 99X Electric in the Formula E World Championship, we want to continue to fight for overall victories in the future.

“That is our tradition and our focus.”

Porsche Penske Motorsport has two cars in WEC, with star drivers Julien Andlauer, Michael Christensen, Mathier Jaminet, Kevin Estre, Laurens Vanthoor, and Australia’s Matt Campbell.

What it means for those drivers is unclear. However, there are rumours that several drivers have spoken with other manufacturers, including Campbell with McLaren.

“We are lucky enough to have some of the best sports car drivers in the world on our roster, and we are fully aware of the situation,” said Laudenbach.

“It’s too early at this stage to make any concrete statement, but discussions are of course underway.

“We plan to announce our 2026 lineup around the time of the Porsche Night of Champions in late November.

“At the same time, it is important to remain focused on the current season.

“We can still win both races and titles at both the final round of the WEC in Bahrain and the IMSA finale at Road Atlanta.”

Although Porsche has pulled its factory program from WEC, the brand could still conceivably compete.

Porsche customer Proton Competition currently fields one car in the championship. However, a new-for-2025 regulation stipulates Hypercar teams must run a minimum of two cars.

The team is known to have two cars, which could see it expand in 2026.

WEC organisers acknowledged Porsche’s announcement in a brief statement, leaving the door open for the brand’s return.

“It goes without saying that we are saddened that Porsche will not be part of the FIA WEC Hypercar field in 2026,” a social media post read.

“It is an iconic brand that is a huge part of endurance racing history, and while we clearly understand and respect its decision not to continue at this stage, we very much hope to welcome Porsche back in the future as part of an increasingly strong and competitive Hypercar grid.”

The 2025 FIA World Endurance Championship concludes with the 8 Hours of Bahrain on November 8.