'Vettel impresses Porsche and appears to be going for 24 Hours of Le Mans'
Rumors
Sebastian Vettel appears to be being prepared by Porsche for a 24-hours of Le Mans debut. Porsche are said to have delayed the announcement of the line-up to see if Vettel can still be added to the team.
Interesting news came out on the Friday of the race weekend in Australia: Vettel is returning to motorsport. The four-time Formula One world champion will not return to the racing class familiar to him, but will focus on long-distance racing. Vettel will get the chance from Porsche to take part in a 36-hour test at Spain's Motorland Aragón circuit.
Can Vettel compete in the 24 Hours of Le Mans race?
On the previous Thursday, 21 March, Vettel already did a test with the third Le Mans Hypercar in Weissach. Vettel shared the car with Laurens Vanthoor. The Belgian is a factory Porsche driver. According to German Motorsport Aktuell, Vettel is believed to have driven at the same pace as the seasoned Belgian after 15 laps.
The 36-hour test at the Spanish circuit is mainly a test for Vettel to see how he drives in the dark. That is a completely new experience for the German. If Vettel passes that test, it cannot be ruled out that the former Red Bull and Ferrari driver will be in action at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Indeed,Auto, Motor und Sport reports that Porsche has delayed announcing the line-up of its third team. That decision was initially due to be made on Thursday 28 March, but for now it will stick to the two teams already announced. The original plan was Mathieu Jaminet, Felipe Nasr and Nick Tandy for the third car, now Vettel also seems to be in the running for a spot in the team.