Head of Porsche Motorsport Thomas Laudenbach has insisted that the German manufacturer’s relationship with customer team Avalanche Andretti is “completely positive”, despite a heated London E-Prix.
Porsche and Andretti have proven to be two of the leading teams in the Gen3 era so far, with Porsche’s powertrain being one of the best on the grid. Both teams picked up several wins during the 2022/23 season, although they had different levels of success when it came to the championships.
Andretti’s Jake Dennis claimed the Drivers’ Championship, whilst Porsche lost out on the Constructors’ Championship at the final hurdle, to Envision Racing. A key factor of season nine was how close some powertrain suppliers worked with their customer team, a trend which was no different between Porsche and and Andretti.
Laudenbach admits that Porsche and Andretti do “work together” and have a “very close exchange” when it comes to data, as a result of the two teams having a “completely positive” relationship.
“Completely positive. After all, we are not just a racing team, but a car manufacturer,” Laudenbach told e-Formula.news.
“Therefore, we always have the philosophy, which was also confirmed to us by Andretti once again internally: If four Porsches are racing, they should be as strong as they can be. Close cooperation helps anyway because we have a broader database. We have a very close exchange, we work together.”
Porsche’s and Andretti’s relationship has been heated at times during the season, often caused by Dennis and Pascal Wehrlein having fought for the title. Some words were said during the season which probably shouldn’t have been said; however, even their battles on the circuit didn’t suggest that there was any cooperation.
Dennis was furious about a late move under braking by Wehrlein whilst fighting for the lead in Jakarta, but this was nothing compared to what happened in London. At the season finale double-header, Wehrlein was realistically out of the title fight, whereas Dennis had the chance to seal the championship in the first of two races at the ExCeL Centre.
Whilst Andretti were prioritising the Drivers’ Championship, Porsche were focusing on the Team’ Standings. A discussion was supposedly had between the two teams to help one another, something Dennis accused Wehrlein of not doing.
Dennis shouted over the radio for help from Wehrlein whilst battling with both Envision drivers, only for the German to then battle with the Briton also. The Andretti driver received no support from Wehrlein, who actually ended up being forced into a tyre barrier by René Rast.
When Wehrlein opted to overtake Dennis, those in the Andretti garage were seen going ballistic, none more so than team owner Michael Andretti. Dennis revealed that Andretti and Porsche had a “game plan” for the race, which Wehrlein completely disregarded.
“Yeah, we had a bit of a game plan going into the race and, yeah, there was times where I felt like it wasn’t really being executed well enough,” Dennis told Motorsport Week after the first race in London.
“So, yeah, in a high pressure environment, I was like, I need Pascal to help me. And he was doing the complete opposite at times, so he’s doing his own race.”
The situation certainly wasn’t an ideal one for either team, with Laudenbach insisting that the best way of addressing an issue like the one seen in London is by having a “sit down together”.
However, he also recognises that both teams being in the situation they found themselves in is a sign that Porsche have a “good package” which “moves both teams forward”.
“Naturally, a situation has now arisen in which both teams have fought for victories. Of course, this also creates stronger competition,” insisted Laudenbach.
“But I don’t want to see that in a negative light. There is perhaps also sometimes the situation that you have to sit down together. But that is quite normal and simply arises from the fact that we have a good package and have taken a path that obviously moves both teams forward.
“That’s why, for me, this is a complete success and a very clear confirmation that our philosophy is right.”
