(Motorsports news) Sam Hignett, the team’s principal, disclosed that Jota has approached Vettel about joining their enlarged two-car Hypercar class attack on the WEC in 2024 with a pair of Porsche 963 LMDh prototypes.
Hignett highlighted that talks with the German over a WEC drive and an attempt on the Le Mans 24 Hours are still in the early stages and that no agreement has been reached. “We are speaking to Seb, there are discussions, but nothing is done,” he stated. “There isn’t any kind of contract signed and he certainly hasn’t tested one of our cars.”
Vettel, who announced his retirement from Formula One at the end of 2022, has refused to rule out a comeback. Vettel declared earlier this month that he was still race fit and said on a visit to Suzuka for last weekend’s Japanese Grand Prix that he misses “the amazing feeling” of driving an F1 car. However, he ruled out a comeback to F1 in the near future.
“Not for now: F1 was the center of my life for so long, but once you step out, you realise even more how big the rest of the world is, and how small in a way F1 is,” Vettel remarked. Jota has stated that it is able to choose the driver lineup for its second 963 and does not require financed drivers. The second car, like the first, will be supported by Hertz, whose distinctive gold colors it will race in.
Hignett mentioned Jota’s environmental credentials as part of its appeal to Vettel, who inaugurated a number of bee hotels at Suzuka as part of his role as an ambassador for the BeesandApple environmental project. “Sustainability is important to us as a team, which is why our hospitality unit at Le Mans was solar powered,” he stated.
“We know that is important to Seb as well.” Hignett indicated that Jota had a “long list of drivers” lined up for their two-car Hypercar attack next year. “We are speaking to a lot of people, some who are high up on the list and some others who aren’t so high,” he stated.
Another F1 world champion, Jenson Button, is understood to be on the list, while Hignett has revealed that Robert Kubica, who is racing in the WEC in LMP2 with WRT this year, is in talks with the team. Jota, a three-time Le Mans LMP2 class winner, returned to the top category of sportscar racing this season with the first customer 963 to compete in the WEC.
It has never hidden its intention to run two Porsches next year, and announced earlier this month that a second car is already on order for 2024.
Aslo read: 5 things we learned from the 2023 F1 Japanese Grand Prix
