The Latest Breaking News from JOTA

Frederic Makowiecki posted a lap of 1m41.223s in the #5 Porsche Penske Motorsport-entered 963 LMDh with fewer than 30 minutes left on the clock, dislodging the #94 Peugeot 9X8 that had led the way since the early part of the session.

Callum Ilott set the pace aboard the British team’s #12 Porsche 963 LMDh in the night session on Monday with a 1m40.541s laid down in the opening minutes of five hours running on the Losail International Circuit.

The 25-year-old Briton was called upon after Malukas recently sustained a wrist injury while mountain biking that required surgery last week and will leave him out for at least six weeks.

Speaking at the Autosport International Show on Saturday, Ilott revealed that he had expected to stay in IndyCar with Juncos Hollinger until "circumstances changed" and he found himself searching for a new drive. The Briton landed on his feet, in a deal he called "a great surprise", to drive Jota's #12 Porsche…

The Briton will join Norman Nato and Will Stevens in Jota's #12 Porsche 963 as the Hertz-backed operation expands to two Hypercar entries. Jenson Button, the 2009 Formula 1 world champion, will join the #38 crew alongside Phil Hanson and Oliver Rasmussen.

The WEC is booming following an overhaul in regulations, with no fewer than nineteen Hypercar entered in 2024, representing nine different manufacturers. Never had so many OEMs been involved in WEC's top class since the inception of the series. 

The news follows last week’s announcement that he has left Porsche’s stable, having previously been nominated as a ‘Selected Driver’ by its Asia Pacific motorsport arm.

The 43-year-old will undertake a full season of racing for the first time since his winning assault on the Super GT Series with the Kunimitsu Honda team in 2018 in one of the pair of Hertz Team Jota Porsche 963 LMDhs.

The end of the Chinese racer’s contract as a so-called ‘selected driver’ with Porsche Motorsport Asia Pacific was revealed on Tuesday.