Spyderidol:

I haven’t taken the time to comment on this as my feeling are very mixed and I needed the time to try and sort through them.

I recall my excitement back in January 2013 when Porsche rolled out the 919. How exciting and interesting it was to see just what Porsche had come up with to take on the likes of Audi and Toyota. Those feelings were all consuming.

I must admit that I was curious to see what the LMDh would/could look like, and I am always a little curious anytime Porsche puts out a new product, especially if it is in the Motorsport arena.

In contrast, however, to 2013, my levels of excitant are magnitudes lower, and I needed to pinpoint the exact reasons.

Here they are:

  1. This car will not be faster than any of its competitors. (Due to the BOP)
  2. This car is also the basis for the Audi and Lamborghini (if it enters) cars. (And any other entries from VAG)
  3. It is not a Porsche chassis. Despite Multimatic building the chassis to VAG’s specifications, and the fact that VAG having exclusivity, it is still based on the new LMP2 chassis and therefore not a real “pure” Porsche product.
  4. It is my perception that Porsche’s decision to enter the LMDh class is primarily based on the most lucrative business model, and despite Thomas Laudenbach’s assertions that Porsche wants to be as successful with this model as it was with the other Motorsport models, it is clear to me that the measure of success has now changed to “how many cars we can sell to customers”, as opposed to “how many races/championships we can win”.

There is a lot of talk/speculation that the Audi LMDh program has been scaled back (and it is now understood that it will have the same chassis and drivetrain as the Porsche). My suspicion is that this could indicate a possible Audi entry into F1 (engine supplier) in 2026 and that they would rather divert resources to that project in the future.

If, in fact, Audi is chosen by VAG to represent them in F1, leaving Porsche to be their representative in sportscar racing (Porsche’s natural home), Porsche must be careful that Audi does not become the “senior” sportscar brand within VAG (assuming F1 success).

The way Porsche can guard its dominant “VAG sportcars brand “ is to be very successful in winning races and championships. In order to this, it may have to put the “most profitable business model” formula on hold.

Nice post Superidol!

I fully share your opinion. However, we have to admit that due to the fact that fia wec (except le mans) cant provide the same return of investment as F1 it is not viable for the manufacturers to build the cars like 919 r18 and ts050 anymore. The 2014 regulations went out in time when vw and toyota wanted to show their hybrid tech, so it was the reason for the to invest 300-400 mln euro per season to showcase the avant garde technology (more so than in f1). 

Unfortunately fia wec couldnt provide the platform to the manufacturers for their promotions. What were the reasons - fia wec management inefficiency or fia politics to save f1 (which was under the heavy level of critics at time) we would never know. Of course dieselgate is the secondary factor.

So for now it is a choice - to have a field or make hi tech regs and have an empty field. First one is better I believe. Anyway, the masses dont know the tech, they see the label. Cant wait for 2023