However, there was plenty of reason to celebrate in the LMGT3 category: customer outfit Manthey successfully defended its FIA Endurance Trophy title for the second consecutive year. The drivers’ crown went to Richard Lietz, Riccardo Pera and Ryan Hardwick.
In its 50th race, the Porsche 963 went home unrewarded. Following a mediocre qualifying session on Friday, the factory team faced a challenging eight-hour race on the Formula 1 circuit in Bahrain. France’s Kévin Estre and Laurens Vanthoor from Belgium, the 2024 drivers’ world champions, shared driving duties with Australian Matt Campbell and finished 13th overall. The sister car, driven by the Frenchmen Julien Andlauer and Mathieu Jaminet together with German Laurin Heinrich, crossed the line in 14th place. The identical hybrid prototype fielded by customer squad Proton Competition took the flag in P17.
‟Today, we simply didn’t have the pace to fight at the front,” summarised Thomas Laudenbach, Vice President Porsche Motorsport. ‟But looking back over the past three years fills us with pride: we were the first to win a FIA WEC race with an LMDh car; in 2024 we claimed the drivers’ title; and in Le Mans we came so close to overall victory with second place. My compliments go to the entire team for these outstanding performances. Our Porsche 963 has also set the benchmark for LMDh race cars in the FIA WEC. Congratulations as well to our GT3 customer team Manthey on once again securing the championship titles in the World Endurance Championship.”
‟I would like to sincerely thank the entire team for these three years in the WEC,” commented Urs Kuratle, Director Factory Motorsport LMDh. ‟I especially want to thank Penske, Multimatic and all our partners who have supported us throughout this exciting and eventful journey. Congratulations to Ferrari on winning the title and to Toyota on today’s race victory.”
‟This was, for the foreseeable future, our final appearance in the World Endurance Championship,” said Jonathan Diuguid, Managing Director Porsche Penske Motorsport. ‟Unfortunately, the top result we had hoped for eluded us. Overall, however, it’s been a fantastic and successful period. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed working with this outstanding group of passionate people.”
Despite the outcome in the 2025 season finale, the factory outfit can look back on a highly successful time in the championship: with three wins, 15 podiums, three pole positions and two fastest race laps, the Porsche 963 has firmly established itself as the most successful LMDh car since the introduction of the regulations in 2023. The ca. 500 kW (680 PS) hybrid prototype will continue to compete next year in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, where Porsche claimed all titles for the second consecutive season.
LMGT3 Class: Manthey 1st Phorm clinches title with the 911 GT3 R
In the LMGT3 category, customer team Manthey reaffirmed its class dominance. Driving the Porsche 911 GT3 R under the Manthey 1st Phorm banner, factory driver Richard Lietz from Austria, Italy’s Riccardo Pera, and American Ryan Hardwick delivered a flawless race. Starting from 18th on the grid, the crew steadily worked their way up to fourth place. Thanks to this performance, the drivers and team from the Germany’s Eifel region secured the FIA Endurance Trophy. This marked Manthey’s second championship win in just the second year of the LMGT3 category. In June, the team had also claimed its second consecutive class victory at Le Mans.
‟This success story in the LMGT3 category is hard to beat: two class wins at Le Mans and the championship titles in LMGT3 are no small achievement,” emphasised Sebastian Golz, Project Manager Porsche 911 GT3 R. ‟The teams at Manthey in Meuspath and at Porsche Motorsport in Weissach can be proud of the foundation they have built and the results they have fought for on track.”
The Iron Dames squad also produced an impressive comeback on race day. French driver Célia Martin, Swiss racer Rahel Frey, and Michelle Gatting from Denmark brought their up to 416 kW (565 PS) Manthey-run 911 GT3 R home in 12th place.
Driver comments after the race
Mathieu Jaminet (Porsche 963 #5): ‟My final two stints in the car were a real pleasure. Unfortunately, we lacked the necessary pace during the race to achieve more. The entire team deserved better for our farewell, and personally, I’d hoped for a top result in my last outing with the Porsche 963.”
Laurens Vanthoor (Porsche 963 #6): ‟We did everything we could and opted for a bold strategy. Unfortunately, it didn’t pay off. Instead of fighting for the world championship, we lost second place in the championship to Toyota. We’d expected Porsche Penske Motorsport’s farewell WEC race to unfold differently.”
Riccardo Pera (Porsche 911 GT3 R #92): ‟Unbelievable – a dream has come true! My heartfelt thanks go to the Manthey team and my fellow drivers. I can’t even put into words or fully comprehend such a triumph in a world championship. But it’s the greatest day of my career so far, and it feels amazing!”
Michelle Gatting (Porsche 911 GT3 R #85): ‟Today’s race reflects the entire season – once again, everything went against us. Throughout the year, we repeatedly made mistakes, but we also learned a great deal from them. Congratulations to our colleagues in the sister car: a fantastic and well-deserved title victory!”
Race result
Hypercar class:
1. Conway/Kobayashi/de Vries (GBR/JPN/NLD), Toyota #7, 237 laps
2. Buemi/Hartley/Hirakawa (CHE/NZL/JPN), Toyota #8, + 19.378 seconds
3. Fuoco/Molina/Nielsen (ITA/ESP/DNK), Ferrari #50, + 26.342 seconds
13. Campbell/Estre/Vanthoor (AUS/FRA/BEL), Porsche 963 #6, - 1 lap
14. Andlauer/Heinrich/Jaminet (FRA/DEU/FRA), Porsche 963 #5, - 1 lap
17. Jani/Pino/Varrone (CHE/CHL/ARG), Porsche 963 #99, - 2 laps
LMGT3 class:
1. Umbrarescu/Schmied/López (ROM/AUT/ARG), Lexus #87, 216 laps
2. Berry/Hodenius/Martin (AUS/NLD/BEL), Mercedes-AMG #61, + 0.786 seconds
3. James/Robichon/Drudi (USA/CDN/ITA), Aston Martin #27, + 1.837 seconds
4. Hardwick/Lietz/Pera (USA/AUT/ITA), Porsche 911 GT3 R #92, + 14,205 seconds
12. Frey/Gatting/Martin (CHE/DNK/FRA), Porsche 911 GT3 R #85, - 1 lap
