Porsche 919 Hybrid

Lore & Background

In mid-May 2011, Porsche decided to compete as a works team in the LMP1 category for the FIA World Endurance Championship, with the car debuting in 2014. The Porsche Motorsport Centre Flacht in Weissach expanded to 200 full-time employees working on the project's design, assembly and deployment. Porsche employed Fritz Enzinger from fellow German marque BMW to serve as the vice-president of LMP1, and Alex Hitzinger—former Head of F1 Development for engine builder Cosworth and later Red Bull Racing's Head of Advanced Technologies—to oversee the car's technical design. A total of nine chassis were built.

The car's compact and lightweight engine was a 2 L 90-degree V4 cylinder bank mid-mounted mono-turbocharged petrol engine running at 9,000 rpm, with a direct fuel-injection system and a single Garrett-designed turbocharger with a dual overhead camshaft. It produced approximately 500 hp and acted as a chassis load-bearing member. The 919 Hybrid had two separate energy-recovery hybrid systems: the rear exhaust system used a two-turbine electric generator to recover thermal energy from exhaust gasses, and the front system utilised a 185 kW motor–generator on the front axle that converted kinetic energy into electrical energy under braking, stored in water-cooled A123 Systems lithium-ion battery packs. Under acceleration the motor-generator operated as an electric motor to run the front wheels while the petrol engine drove the rear wheels, temporarily making the car four-wheel drive with a total of 1,000 hp. In accordance with the 2014 regulations, the vehicle was placed in the 6 MJ class, although Porsche designed it to operate in the 8 MJ class due to incompatibility.

On 4 March 2014, the 919 Hybrid was shown to the press for the first time during the Geneva Motor Show. Porsche supplied two cars, driven by six drivers, for the season. Romain Dumas, Neel Jani, and Marc Lieb won three pole positions and the season-ending 6 Hours of São Paulo as Timo Bernhard, Brendon Hartley and Mark Webber helped the team to finish third in the World Manufacturers' Championship. In 2015, the car was further developed and was categorized into the 8 MJ category. Bernhard, Hartley, and Webber won four out of eight races to claim the 2015 World Endurance Drivers' Championship and the World Manufacturers' Championship. Earl Bamber, Nico Hülkenberg and Nick Tandy won the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps and 24 Hours of Le Mans, driving a third 919 Hybrid. In 2016 Dumas, Jani, and Lieb won the 6 Hours of Silverstone and the 24 Hours of Le Mans with the car after further development, winning the 2016 World Endurance Drivers' Championship and the team's second. Bernhard, Hartley, and Webber won four of the six remaining rounds to help Porsche win its second consecutive World Manufacturers' Championship. In 2017, Tandy and former Audi LMP1 driver André Lotterer joined Jani in place of Dumas and Lieb, and Bamber teamed up with Bernhard and Hartley, replacing the retired Webber. Bamber, Bernhard, and Hartley recovered from a 13-lap deficit to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans and three more races for Porsche's third consecutive World Drivers' and Manufacturers' Championships at the season's penultimate round, the 2017 6 Hours of Shanghai. After 2017, the 919 Hybrid project was discontinued as Porsche entered Formula E. An evolution of the car, called the 919 Evo, was demonstrated in 2018, setting multiple lap records as the overall lap record for the notorious Nordschleife.

Reader's Guide

The Porsche 919 Hybrid was significant as Porsche's first factory LMP1 prototype since the 1998 models, marking the company's return to top-tier endurance racing after a 16-year absence. Over four seasons, the car dominated the FIA World Endurance Championship, winning three consecutive World Manufacturers' Championships (2015, 2016, 2017) and three consecutive World Endurance Drivers' Championships (2015, 2016, 2017). Its innovative dual hybrid system—recovering thermal energy from exhaust gases and kinetic energy under braking—was a key technical achievement, allowing the car to operate in the 6 MJ class in 2014 and the 8 MJ class from 2015 onward. The 919 Hybrid also secured three overall victories at the 24 Hours of Le Mans (2015, 2016, 2017), including a remarkable recovery from a 13-lap deficit in 2017. After the project's discontinuation, the 919 Evo evolution set multiple lap records, including the overall lap record for the Nordschleife, demonstrating the platform's enduring performance capability.

Did You Know?

• The Porsche 919 Hybrid was the first sports car prototype built by Porsche since the RS Spyder debuted in 2005.
• The car's engine acted as a chassis load-bearing member.
• An evolution called the 919 Evo set the overall lap record for the Nordschleife in 2018.