Aside from the Rookie championship in the Supercup, Alessandro Ghiretti also claimed vice championship honours in the Porsche Carrera Cup France last season. The Frenchman called on his skill and experience at the wheel of the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup at the shootout on the Grand Prix circuit in Portugal’s Algarve. Not only that: the youngster from Montauban in the south of France was impressive in the way he collaborated with the engineers, in media work and fitness tests.
“As always, this wasn’t an easy decision for us. The twelve candidates were all extremely strong,” emphasises Thomas Laudenbach, Vice President Porsche Motorsport. “Even though the assessment took place on a racetrack, the selection of the new junior is about more than sporting talent and driving ability. We demand much more from a race driver than stepping on the gas, braking late and hitting the apex. It’s always been about the complete package. In this respect, we’re absolutely sold on Alessandro. I’m certain that we’ll be seeing fantastic races from him in 2024. He has the chance to grow into an all-rounder, just like the previous Porsche Juniors have.”
Alessandro Ghiretti inherited the passion for motor racing early in life: His father Alain contested numerous races in single-seaters; his grandfather had a penchant for historic motorsport and worked in that scene as a mechanic in his free time. The new Porsche Junior’s family gave him the backing he needed when he started racing in karts at the age of seven. His path led him to the Porsche Carrera Cup France in 2021 via Formula 4, Formula 3 and, among other things, the Le Mans Cup. At the wheel of the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, the Frenchman underlined his talent and ability to learn. After achieving fourth place overall in the first season, he improved with positions three and two in 2022 and 2023. Ghiretti also took home the Rookie title in the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup.
“When my phone rang and I saw that it was a call from Porsche, I quickly took a screenshot. I immediately got the feeling that I had to capture this moment forever,” says the youngster, describing his reaction to project manager Jasmin Steidle-Faas breaking the good news. “When Jasmin told me that I would be the Porsche Junior for 2024, I was in complete disbelief. I asked her to repeat the sentence one more time. It’s a huge dream come true for me. My whole family loves the Porsche brand – and now I’m going to be a small part of it. The news blew me away, I was speechless. I was grinning from ear to ear for the rest of the day and of course, I let my parents know straight away. It was a moment I won’t be forgetting in a hurry.”
The 21-year-old, whose family lives in Marrakesh, Morocco, since six years, will receive an invaluable sponsorship package of up to 225,000 Euros for his racing activities as a Porsche Junior for the 2024 season. Among other accolades, Ghiretti will target the title in the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup next year. At the same time, he will receive extensive training, support and mentoring away from the racetrack, for example at training camps and media seminars. Sascha Maassen, two-time Le Mans class winner with Porsche and winner of the prestigious Macau Grand Prix in 1994, will support the youngster as a coach throughout the season.
“I want to make the absolute most of the opportunities I get as a Porsche Junior,” explains Ghiretti, who lives in a small apartment in the southern French city of Marseille. “I aim to learn as much as possible and implement all the knowledge Sascha passes on to me as quickly as possible. I’m immensely proud to be able to join the list of renowned top drivers who have emerged from the Porsche support programme. I’m aware of how unique this opportunity is: I’m determined to make the most of it!”
The successful Porsche Junior Programme
As the new Porsche Junior, Ghiretti joins the ranks of highly successful motor racing drivers. Porsche Motorsport’s renowned and ongoing development programme for young drivers has been an important and sustainable springboard for talents since 1997. The drivers supported so far have made a significant mark on the racing scene. Between them, they have notched up ten overall victories and over 50 class wins at the major endurance classics at Le Mans, Daytona and Sebring. In addition, the list includes 17 victories in the overall classification of the 24-hour race at the Nürburgring and 20 titles in the American Le Mans Series (ALMS). How well the drivers are prepared for a long-term career as part of Porsche’s support initiative is demonstrated by the fact that almost all former juniors are still active today in various motorsport roles. Many are still closely linked to the brand: as works drivers, brand ambassadors or in other Porsche departments.
The Porsche Juniors from 1997 to 2024
Matthias Wolf (†) (1997)
Dirk Müller (1997 – 1998)
Marc Basseng (1997 – 1999)
Lucas Luhr (1999)
Timo Bernhard (1999 – 2001)
Marc Lieb (2000 – 2002)
Mike Rockenfeller (2002 – 2004)
Patrick Long (2003)
Christian Mamerow (2004)
Lance David Arnold (2005 – 2007)
Jan Seyffarth (2005 – 2006)
Martin Ragginger (2007 – 2009)
Marco Holzer (2008 – 2009)
Klaus Bachler (2012 – 2014)
Michael Christensen (2012 – 2013)
Alex Riberas (2013 – 2014)
Connor De Philippi (2013 – 2015)
Jean-Karl Vernay (2013)
Sven Müller (2014 – 2016)
Earl Bamber (2014)
Matteo Cairoli (2015 – 2016)
Dennis Olsen (2016 – 2017)
Mathieu Jaminet (2016)
Matt Campbell (2017)
Thomas Preining (2017 – 2018)
Julien Andlauer (2018 – 2019)
Jaxon Evans (2019 – 2020)
Ayhancan Güven (2020 – 2021)
Laurin Heinrich (2022)
Bastian Buus (2023)
Alessandro Ghiretti (2024)