Four-time F1 champion Sebastian Vettel to test for Porsche ahead of 2024 24 Hours of Le Mans race

Former Formula 1 world champion Sebastian Vettel will complete a 36-hour test drive for Porsche Penske Motorsport ahead of the 24 Hours of Le Mans race.

The World Endurance Championship team announced Vettel, who won four F1 titles from 2010 to 2013 for Red Bull, would aid their preparation for the iconic race by driving the Porsche 963 Hypercar at the Aragon circuit in Spain.

Vettel, 36, left F1 at the end of the 2022 season and is “excited” to take his talents to a different series.

“I’m looking forward to testing the Porsche 963,” Vettel said. “I already got the chance to get a feel for the car during a rollout in Weissach.

“I’ve always followed other racing series and my curiosity for endurance events encouraged me to just give it a shot. Now I’m excited about the long run in Aragon and I’m looking forward to my time behind the wheel.

“It’ll definitely take an adjustment and some getting used to but everyone in the team is very open and helps me. This will be a new experience for me. We will then see what happens next in this respect – at the moment there are no further plans for the future.”

Vettel raced in F1 between 2007 and 2022 before citing a desire to spend more time with his family as the reason he opted to leave Aston Martin.

He became the youngest driver to win a race when he triumphed in treacherous conditions at the 2008 Italian Grand Prix at Monza, although Max Verstappen has since eclipsed his record.

The German is still the youngest champion in the sport’s history, though, having claimed the drivers’ title in 2010 at the age of 23.

That sparked a run of dominance as he and Red Bull wrapped up four successive drivers’ and constructors’ championships before a drastic regulation change shuffled the pack.

Vettel joined Ferrari in 2015 but failed to add to his haul of titles before two underwhelming seasons at Aston Martin followed.

But perhaps his future lies in endurance racing.