Porsche and Peugeot announce major driver movements in motorsport

Porsche has announced an unusual driver change to bolster Laurin Heinrich’s chances of winning the 2026 IMSA championship. For the penultimate season race in Indianapolis on September 20, 2026, Heinrich will move from his customer team, JDC-Miller Motorsports, back into a factory Porsche 963. He will replace regular driver Laurens Vanthoor to partner with Kevin Estre. Porsche LMDh head Urs Kuratle stated the move is intended to give Heinrich the best possible opportunity to secure the title, as he currently trails Cadillac leader Jack Aitken by 118 points. Nico Müller will take over Heinrich’s seat at JDC-Miller Motorsports.

In separate endurance racing news, Peugeot has announced that Robert Schwarzman will join the team for the 2027 FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) season. Schwarzman, a former Ferrari test driver and Indy 500 pole-sitter, will drive the Peugeot 9X8 Hypercar. This move marks his return to WEC after two seasons competing in the United States.