Audi has confirmed that no. 7 car engineer Leena Gade is set to leave the team following the 24 Hours of Le Mans in June.
Since joining Audi in 2007, Gade has established herself as one of the most prominent figures in top-line sportscar racing, becoming the first female engineer to win Le Mans in 2011 with Andre Lotterer, Benoit Treluyer and Marcel Fassler.
The trio followed this up with victory in the FIA World Endurance Championship in 2012 before claiming a second Le Mans victory with Gade in 2014.
However, Gade is now set to move on to a new challenge, with Audi confirming in a short statement on Thursday that she would be leaving following the 24 Hours of Le Mans on June 19.
"Leena Gade, the race engineer for the number 7 Audi R18, will be leaving Audi Sport after the Le Mans 24 Hours," the team said.
"However, she is breaking in her successor, Erik Schuivens, in testing and racing operations. His involvement will begin with the season opener at Silverstone."
Gade is rumoured to be joining Bentley's motorsport programme, but an Audi spokesperson could only confirm to Grand Prix Times that she was leaving the German marque after Le Mans.
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