Proton Competition confirms it will not be in Hypercar 2026

Proton Competition announced this Friday the definitive closure of its program with the Porsche 963 LMDh. The team will not participate in the 2026 World Endurance Championship nor will it be present in the IMSA GTP category, putting an end to its project in the top endurance class after two and a half seasons.

"After weeks of discussions and all efforts on our part, our team will not be able to field a Porsche 963 in the 2026 WEC," officially communicated the team led by Christian and Michael Ried. The decision closes any possibility of Porsche maintaining a presence in Hypercar following the departure of the factory team Porsche Penske Motorsport at the end of 2025.

Photo By Carlos Castillo

Unattainable Financial Requirements

The WEC regulations require each manufacturer to enter a minimum of two vehicles in Hypercar to maintain homologation. Until this year, Porsche complied thanks to the two cars from the Penske team plus the single 963 from Proton. The departure of Porsche Penske shifted all responsibility to the customer team, which does not have the resources to operate two prototypes.

"Adding a second car isn't exactly double the cost, but it's close to double and we simply don't have the budget," Christian Ried had explained during the final WEC round in Bahrain. "I don't have the people, I don't have the infrastructure. You need a team, the mechanics to operate it. It's complicated."

Proton owns a second 963 chassis which it used partially in IMSA during 2024. This year the team scaled back its championship program to the Michelin Endurance Cup, but interrupted it after suffering severe damage at Watkins Glen. The budget required for a full season with two cars in the WEC far exceeded the capabilities of the family-run team.

The financial situation worsened with the departure of Nicolás Varrone to the FIA Formula 2 Championship in 2025. Varrone contributed considerable sponsorship to the current program, leaving an economic void in an already strained project.

Failed Negotiations in Recent Weeks

Christian and Michael Ried explored multiple options in recent weeks to keep two Porsche 963s on the Hypercar grid. The talks included a possible partnership with the Penske team, which would have allowed them to meet the regulatory requirement of two cars.

Thomas Laudenbach, head of Porsche Motorsport, confirmed they evaluated several scenarios. "We analyzed all possible scenarios to support Roger Penske," Laudenbach explained. "We came to the conclusion that a semi-private project could look like a covert return for Porsche and devalue what was achieved as the official team in the last three years."

Negotiations intensified during the final round in Bahrain, but failed to reach an agreement. Jonathan Diuguid, President of Penske Racing, had already ruled out an independent team program in the World Championship. "The necessary conditions for a private entry could not be reached," summarizes the Proton statement.

The situation was complicated when Hertz Team JOTA abandoned the 963 program to become a semi-factory operation for Cadillac in 2025. JOTA's defection eliminated any possibility of customer teams sharing the regulatory and financial burden of maintaining two competing vehicles.

Photo By Carlos Castillo

Porsche Loses IMSA-Earned Invitation

One consequence of the announcement is that Porsche Penske Motorsport loses the automatic invitation to the 2026 24 Hours of Le Mans it won on merit by securing the 2025 IMSA GTP championship. The ACO regulations state that this invitation is only maintained if Porsche fields at least two cars in the WEC.

The factory team accumulated 2,907 points with the #6 car in IMSA, winning the title at the final round of Motul Petit Le Mans. The #7 finished third in the championship with 2,689 points. Porsche Penske will maintain its full program in IMSA during 2026, but will not be able to capitalize on the automatic entry to Le Mans it earned on track.

Pierre Fillon, President of the ACO, had previously confirmed that the invitation required meeting the two-car requirement in the world championship. The irony is notable: Porsche won the sporting right to participate in Le Mans, but financial circumstances prevent it from exercising it.

Absence in IMSA as Well

Proton Competition also does not appear on the entry list for the 2026 IMSA season in the GTP class. The team had participated partially in the championship during 2024 with its second chassis, reducing its presence this year solely to the endurance races of the Michelin Endurance Cup.

The simultaneous exit from both WEC and IMSA closes the 963 project as a customer program. Proton debuted in Hypercar in mid-2023, but never achieved a podium with the #99 car. Its best result came at the 2025 6 Hours of São Paulo, where Neel Jani, Nicolás Varrone, and Nico Pino achieved sixth place. At Fuji 2025 they briefly led through strategy before falling to 12th final position.

Continuity in GT3 and Other Categories

The closure of the 963 program does not affect the team's remaining operations. "This update pertains solely to the 963 project. All our other Porsche programs continue to be evaluated as we shape the best possible lineup for the future of Proton Competition," clarifies the official statement.

The team maintains its program with two Ford Mustang GT3 Evo cars in the WEC's LMGT3 category, where it achieved second place at Spa 2025 with Stefano Gattuso, Giammarco Levorato, and Dennis Olsen. "We want two Fords, LMP2 in ELMS and some GTs," Christian Ried had detailed regarding the reorganized priorities.

Proton also continues its participation in the European Le Mans Series with LMP2 prototypes and in the Asian Le Mans Series. The switch from Porsche to Ford in GT categories occurred when the GTE era ended, and the team will benefit from the Evo update of the Mustang in 2026.

"To all Porsche fans: we know this will be disappointing. We truly hoped to continue seeing the 963 competing in the WEC and at Le Mans, and that same passion drove us to keep pushing to find a solution," concludes the statement. Proton thanked Ferdi Porsche, F.A.T., Mustang Sampling, Ken and Brenda Thompson, as well as the ACO and LMEM for their support during the process.