The FIA ​​WEC season finales in Bahrain have never failed to produce drama, with titles seemingly still on the line and the pressure on underperforming teams and drivers to perform has intensified before the offseason.

It’s also often an emotional occasion, and this year is no different. From top to bottom of the paddock, there are several milestones to note as eras come to an end and new beginnings approach.

A handful of them come to Porsche, which is aiming for a historic sweep of the FIA ​​WEC Hypercar titles with its factory 963s in hopes of adding to the Penske-led factory team’s streak of success in the IMSA GTP category this year.

Beyond the championship battles, the spotlight is currently on the factory driver roster as a change is underway. Porsche’s decision to compete with two drivers for the entire 2025 season has led to two key departures and one key hire, with Andre Lotterer and Fred Makowiecki out and Julien Andlauer coming in.

Marshall Pruett recently described Dane Cameron’s situation on the IMSA side of the Porsche equation is “bizarre.” The American is another PPM team driver who is progressing, despite winning the IMSA GTP drivers’ title and the Rolex 24 this year.

Lotterer finds himself in an eerily similar situation. Tomorrow he will fight for the FIA ​​WEC Hypercar Drivers’ title (and the Manufacturers’ title) with Laurens Vanthoor and Kevin Estre in his final outing for the factory prototype team.

The 42-year-old German will leave Porsche Penske Motorsport following a highly successful turnaround season for the brand’s flagship sports car program.

To this point, the three-time Le Mans winner has helped the #6 963 to victories at Qatar and Fuji, putting himself and his co-drivers 35 points clear at the top of the standings, meaning he has the chance to end 2024. on the highest note tomorrow.

Looking ahead, Lotterer’s future in the sport is unclear, although he insists he is not ready to hang up his helmet just yet. It is reportedly in discussions with several manufacturers for 2025 and beyond, and could even find a landing spot with Porsche outside of the factory Hypercar program.

“They (Porsche) made the decision (not to renew his 963 program contract) some time ago, and I understood that they were going to stick to it regardless of how the season went. ” They have their agenda, so I have to focus on mine and I can’t wait to continue,” he told RACER.

“Of course there are options with Porsche elsewhere, there is loyalty because I have been part of the (VAG) group for a long time, since 2010. The goal has always been to grow old together, but the fact is that I don’t.” I want to stop driving for now. I want to decide when.

“However, it is not an easy market. There are a lot of drivers, it’s hard to find a place that ticks all the boxes and has a solid foundation. I don’t want to continue just for the sake of it. But I think my value is here (in WEC), I don’t think I will come back to Formula E or Formula 1.

“So I said to Porsche: ‘Let’s finish the year with a title and see where we go from there.'”

Fred Makowiecki has a different vision as he leaves the stage, after more than a decade serving the brand. He looks back fondly on his time at Porsche – which included victories at Le Mans and the 24 Hours of Nürburgring – because, in his words, “there were so many special moments”. But he feels ready to move on.

“I want to finish well and give Porsche a Manufacturers’ title,” he said. “But this is all just a reflection on myself. I asked what I wanted as a person. I was open with Urs (Kuratle, Porsche factory racing director) and Thomas (Laudenbach, vice president of Porsche Motorsport), I asked to leave, they listened to what I had to say and accepted my decision. After 11 years, you have to understand what makes you happy in running and in life, and I need a new challenge.

“I had the chance to race with one of the biggest manufacturers in the world. But that doesn’t mean everything is easy or perfect. When you stay somewhere for a long time, there are aspects that don’t go the way you want and that make you want to change.

“It all happened step by step. Of course, the difficult season with the No. 5 car this year didn’t help because I felt like the problems we took too long to resolve.

Reports from France suggest it is heading to Alpine, although nothing has been announced yet. The Frenchman was not willing to go into detail or divulge his plans for the future when RACER spoke to him this week.

“Let’s finish here first.” There are a lot of rumours,” he said. “We are in a world where people are convinced of something even if they are just suspicious. So far nothing is confirmed, let’s finish first with Porsche Of course I won’t retire, I want to be on the grid but with a slightly different approach from recent years.

Have these situations been difficult to manage at Porsche and Penske, as the season reaches its natural crescendo and there is still much to play for?

“Not at all, they acted 100% professional the whole way which is great to see,” Laudenbach told RACER. “They give everything here for themselves and for the team. This is certainly a unique situation, but it happens regularly in our profession.

On the other side of the coin, there is Julien Andlauer. The Frenchman is set to join the factory team after rising through the ranks through the brand’s junior program and is eager to get the 2025 campaign underway – which he will spend alongside Michael Christensen in the WEC.

Among the galaxy of Hypercar stars this season, the 25-year-old has found a way to stand out, which is particularly impressive given that he has driven a customer Porsche 963 all year and has n had no prototype experience to fall back on. in the countryside.

His performance at the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps last May was perhaps the most memorable of his career to date. On this outing, he led the Proton Porsche to the front of the field, making several daring passes along the way. It turned heads and is still mentioned in conversations in the WEC paddock today.

Did that make the phone ring and seal his fate?

“Of course it helped!” he laughed. “But this year I had amazing teammates, Neel (Jani) and Harry (Tincknell), who helped me improve all year. Being fast isn’t the only thing, you have to be complete in and out of the car, that’s what I focused on. I knew I had to be a smart driver.

“I stayed in contact with Porsche all year and at one point they told me they were considering my candidacy, without putting any pressure on me. They just wanted me to gain experience. They knew changes were coming, but couldn’t confirm anything until the meetings around Petit Le Mans. Initially, I was told that I could participate in IMSA, but in the end, I will be in WEC.

Regardless, Andlauer was chosen to strengthen Penske’s crew and help it challenge for a world title and the 963’s first victory at Le Mans. And with a full WEC season already behind the wheel of the car under his belt, he has the opportunity to make an impact immediately.

“It’s a great program to be a part of and the timing is amazing. They struggled a lot last year but they’ve been fantastic this year,” he said. “I will arrive with my backpack full of experience and I will try to put myself straight on the same level as the others. I know I just have to keep doing what I’m doing and see if it matches up with the big guys.