Mathieu Jaminet is the first Porsche factory driver to leave the program—he will compete once more in the WEC finale in Bahrain.
Mathieu Jaminet is leaving his long-time employer Porsche at the end of the 2025 season. The Frenchman is the first factory driver to announce his departure from the German sports car manufacturer after it announced its withdrawal from the World Endurance Championship (WEC).
Although Porsche will remain loyal to the IMSA SportsCar Championship, it was clear in the wake of its withdrawal from the WEC that the hypercar driver lineup would have to be further reduced, following initial cutbacks at the end of 2024. In addition, Porsche is also giving Laurin Heinrich the chance to drive the Porsche 5 at the WEC finale in Bahrain, putting additional pressure on the driver lineup.
Jaminet hinted on social media that he had made the decision himself: “After so many unforgettable years, I have decided to start a new chapter at the end of this WEC season. It was one of the hardest decisions of my life, but I felt it was the right time for a new beginning.”
“I will never forget what this brand did for me ten years ago: it took a boy with no support, no money, just a dream, and gave him a chance.”
“To everyone who was part of this journey—teammates, engineers, mechanics, and friends—I thank you from the bottom of my heart. We have achieved things that I once only dreamed of. Winning the IMSA championship feels like the perfect farewell.”
Jaminet joined the French Porsche Carrera Cup in 2015 and finished runner-up in his debut season. This earned him a place in the Porsche junior program, which he won. From 2016, he went through the typical Porsche works driver program, progressing from junior to “young professional” to works driver.
His greatest successes include winning the French Porsche Carrera Cup in 2016, the championship title with Robert Renauer in the ADAC GT Masters in 2018, the title win in the IMSA GTD Pro in 2022, including a Daytona victory with Matt Campbell, and now the IMSA GTP title, again with the Australian.
Which Porsche drivers will have to leave?
Of course, since the announcement of their withdrawal, Porsche works drivers have been the hottest commodities on the WEC driver market. With Genesis, McLaren, and Ford set to enter the series, drivers will continue to be needed. And even for the existing brands (Alpine, for example, needs drivers), it would not be a good choice not to at least sound out the Porsche squad.
Apart from one-off appearances by Pascal Wehrlein, Nico Müller (replacement driver at Le Mans) or Heinrich and Jaminet, the factory driver squad includes seven other drivers. These are: Julien Andlauer, Kevin Estre, Felipe Nasr, Laurens Vanthoor, Nick Tandy, Matt Campbell, and Michael Christensen.
An IMSA season with two cars requires four full-time and two part-time drivers. A fourth driver can be brought in for the 24 Hours of Daytona, but this is optional and usually comes from the Penske environment (such as Josef Newgarden). This means that at least one other driver will have to leave or be transferred to a private Porsche team.
IMSA – Review: Porsche and its factory outfit PorschePenskeMotorsport have left their mark on the 2025 @IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. The sports car manufacturer claimed every title in the top-tier GTP class.
More information ⬇️ https://t.co/X1ZEvoOXjjRaceborn pic.twitter.com/VCa1237RWE
— Porsche Motorsport (@PorscheRaces) October 17, 2025
Rumors have recently centered on Michael Christensen, whose two-time exclusion from the WEC races in Fuji and Bahrain raised questions. But Nick Tandy, who turns 41 on Wednesday, could also be a candidate to leave, especially after immortalizing himself by winning the “Big Six” of endurance racing and could choose to retire on a high or slip into a secondary role.
Porsche will certainly want to keep Kevin Estre, who is not only considered the cream of the crop in terms of driving skills, but also performs numerous representative duties for Porsche. In the summer, he hinted that he could not see himself driving for any other brand than Porsche, but left open what would happen if Porsche were to stop its program. According to his own statements, Laurens Vanthoor has a valid contract for 2026.
Of course, the pressure doesn’t stop with the Hypercar squad. The two IMSA Endurance drivers will hardly be satisfied with three races and will get GT assignments. This will also put the entire GT driver squad (officially not factory drivers, but under contract with Porsche) under a lot of pressure. So the withdrawal will have far-reaching consequences.
