Red Bull’s Mark Webber has confirmed he will quit Formula 1 at the end of the current season to join Porsche’s LMP1 project.
The Australian had been linked with a move away from F1 following the falling out between him and team-mate Sebastian Vettel in Malaysia, when the German overtook Webber for the lead despite being told to hold station through the use of a secret code, Multi-21.
The 36-year-old says he’s looking forward to a new challenge after 12 years in F1, first with Minardi, then Jaguar, Williams and finally Red Bull in 2008.
“It’s an honour for me to join Porsche at its return to the top category in Le Mans and in the sports car World Endurance Championship and be part of the team,” said Webber.
“Porsche has written racing history as a manufacturer and stands for outstanding technology and performance at the highest level.
“I’m very much looking forward to this new challenge after my time in Formula 1. Porsche will undoubtedly set itself very high goals. I can hardly wait to pilot one of the fastest sportscars in the world.”
Wolfgang Hatz, Porsche’s board member for research and development, says he’s thrilled to have secured the services of “one of the best pilots” for their new endurance project.
“I’m very pleased to have secured Mark Webber for our LMP1 project as one of the best and most successful Formula 1 pilots of our time,” he said.
“Mark is without doubt one of the world’s best race drivers, he has experience at the Le Mans 24 hour race and on top of that he’s been a Porsche enthusiast for many years.
“I learned to appreciate Mark’s qualities when we were both involved in Formula 1. He is one of the best pilots I could imagine for our team. I’m absolutely delighted that we have such an experienced and fast regular driver onboard from 2014.”
Kimi Raikkonen has been linked to replace Webber next season.
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