Three-year contract: Porsche extends partnership with Formula 1®
Porsche will continue to run as a support series to Formula 1 in the future: The Stuttgart sports car manufacturer has extended its contract with the pinnacle of motorsport for another three years. As a result, the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup and Porsche’s national one-make cup series will run as part of the FIA Formula One World Championship™ up to and including 2022. “We’re proud to forge ahead with the close and long-established partnership. Formula 1 offers an exclusive setting with a unique flair. This fascination and high media importance represent an ideal overall package for our racing series,” explains Fritz Enzinger, Vice President Porsche Motorsport.
The Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup has been part of the Formula 1 support programme since its debut season in 1993 – with famous circuits such as the Belgian Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, the Autodromo Nazionale Monza in Italy and Monaco’s street circuit in Monte Carlo as regular fixtures on the racing calendar of the international one-make cup. All drivers compete in 485 hp Porsche 911 GT3 Cup cars. All racing vehicles are technically identical, as are the tyres and the fuel – guaranteeing equal chances for all.
The Supercup represents the pinnacle of Porsche’s one-make cups and offers an ideal training platform for talented racing drivers. Earl Bamber, Jörg Bergmeister, Timo Bernhard, Michael Christensen, Kévin Estre, Richard Lietz, Sven Müller, Nick Tandy and Dirk Werner made an impression in the international one-make cup series and now belong to the works squad at Porsche. The Porsche Young Professionals Matt Campbell, Matteo Cairoli, Mathieu Jaminet, Dennis Olsen and Thomas Preining also underlined their talent in the Supercup. Today’s DTM professionals Philipp Eng and René Rast used the series as a springboard into professional motor racing.
“In the future, the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup will focus on eight European rounds of the FIA Formula One World Championship. Porsche’s national one-make cup series will enhance the Formula 1 support programme at many other events around the world, which showcases Porsche in an attractive environment,” says Michael Dreiser, Director Porsche Motorsport Sales.
The renewal of the contract means that the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup will celebrate its 30th anniversary with Formula 1 in the year 2022. The very first round of the one-make cup was contested at the 1993 Grand Prix of San Marino in Imola. “We are pleased to have extended our long-standing partnership with Porsche for a further three years. This one-make series provides some of the most spectacular racing of any series and contributes significantly to the show that’s on offer over a Grand Prix weekend. Furthermore, in the thirty years during which it has run alongside Formula 1, the Porsche Supercup has provided an excellent launch pad for many drivers who have also made their mark in international races at all levels,” says Ross Brawn, Managing Director, Motorsport at Formula 1. In 1950, Formula 1® racing began and is now the world’s most prestigious motor racing competition, as well as the world’s most popular annual sporting series. The 2019 FIA Formula One World Championship™ runs from March to December and spans 21 races in 21 countries across five continents.
The debut of the new Porsche 911 GT3 Cup in 2021 marks a new milestone in the history of Porsche Motorsport. The latest generation Cup vehicle will be unveiled next year and fielded in the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup and selected Carrera Cups in 2021. The world’s most widely produced GT racer is run in all of Porsche’s one-make cup series. From 1990 up to and including 2019, Porsche produced 4,251 units of the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup at the main factory in Stuttgart and subsequently prepared the vehicles ready to race.
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