As Kilowatt Kings and Pole Position Panthers, the crew members came closer together away from the racetrack. The game took place on the eve of the announcement that Andretti would remain a Porsche customer team.
“At the highest sporting level, there is little room for togetherness,” says Florian Modlinger, Director Factory Motorsport Formula E at Porsche. “That’s why the idea of playing together had been on the table for some time. The fact that we extended our partnership with Andretti as a customer team at almost the same time is a coincidence, but of course it fits perfectly.”
Gen3 Evo: Andretti relies on Porsche
Andretti Formula E has been running the Porsche 99X Electric as a customer team in Formula E since the start of the Gen3 era (2022/2023 season). The long-established US racing team from Indianapolis immediately won the Drivers’ Championship with Brit Jake Dennis. On Thursday in Berlin, Andretti and Porsche announced that they will continue their partnership for the next two seasons. New cars will then be used; the Gen3 Evo regulations allow the temporary driving of the front wheels, among other things.
“The relationship with Andretti is obviously special. As a customer team, they want to maximise the performance of the Porsche 99X Electric just as much as we do – that’s what connects us. The dialogue between the teams helps to continuously improve the performance of the Porsche 99X Electric. Therefore, the contract extension for the next two years makes me very optimistic.”
Roger Griffiths, Team Principal Andretti Formula E: “We are delighted to extend our journey with Porsche Motorsport in Formula E, and our collaboration goes beyond the racetrack, emphasizing the true spirit of our partnership. The soccer match together came at a great time and was a great success for both teams and all those involved. The competitive spirit shown on the field between the two mixed teams is the same as we are known for on the racetrack, fighting for wins and Championships together.”
The football match also meant a change of perspective for the teams: instead of supporting their respective drivers from neighbouring garages, they themselves competed with and against each other. The drivers thanked BSV Victoria 90 Friedrichshain e.V., which lent Porsche its pitch for the match, with an autograph session on behalf of both racing teams. Partner Puma provided matching outfits.
Brand experience customer motorsport
“I’m delighted that the two teams are coming together also off the track,” says Thomas Laudenbach, Vice President Porsche Motorsport. “This is part of our philosophy at Porsche. The heart of our brand beats for motorsport. The closer we get to our customers and partners, the more we can let them be part of it. Of course, a football event like the one in Berlin can also contribute to this.”
Porsche Motorsport is one of the largest providers in global customer sport, and the brand cup version of the Porsche 911 is one of the most-built racing cars (well over 5,000 produced). With the GT4 e-Performance test car, Porsche has long been working on the electric future of customer sport. Andretti Formula E is the first team to use a purely electric Porsche racing car in customer racing.
“Customer racing is an integral part of our diverse motorsport activities, and in Formula E we are proving that we can also run electric customer racing successfully at world championship level. Andretti and the works team operate on an equal footing and work together in many areas. We drive each other to peak performance.”
Porsche in Formula E
Porsche contests its fifth Formula E season in 2023/2024. In addition to the works-run TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team, the American customer team Andretti Formula E competes with the Porsche 99X Electric. The concept of the innovative electric racing car was developed at the net CO2-neutral Weissach facility. With its commitment to the world championship, Porsche underlines its commitment to take a leading role among traditional automobile manufacturers in the areas of electrification, sustainability and technology. In Formula E, the brand gains valuable insights for its electric series-production sports cars.