Porsche races. It'd hardly be Porsche if it didn't. Heck, it just won the 24 Hours of Le Mans for the third time in a row and the nineteenth time in its history, for crying out loud. That's in sports-car racing, though. Single-seater formula racing is a whole different story, but word has it that it's about to open another chapter.
According to Autosport, the German manufacturer is looking closely at entering the Formula E championship. Three of its senior officers – CEO Oliver Blume, R&D chief Michael Steiner, and racing chief Andreas Seidl – recently met with Formula E principal Alejandro Agag during the race in Monaco, and sent additional representatives to the race in Berlin to evaluate joining in the future.
"We received an invitation [to Monaco] from Alejandro Agag to have a look and experience Formula E for the first time," Seidl told Autosport. "We just had an invitation to an interesting series, though maybe there are not enough technical freedoms yet."
If the board gives the green light, Porsche could join the series as soon as late next year in time for the fifth season. The move would rekindle the rivalry between Porsche and its sister company Audi, which actively supports the Abt team but recently pulled out of Le Mans and left its sibling to dominate in its absence. Both Mercedes and BMW are on the verge of joining, while other manufacturers like Jaguar, Renault, and PSA's DS brand already competing.
Porsche competed in Formula One in the late 1950s and early '60s, worked with TAG on McLaren's engines in the 1980s, and powered the Footwork team briefly in 1991. It was also present at Indy in the 1980s, but the Formula E program would be another step entirely – one more consistent with its drive towards electrification.
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