Vettel to test a Porsche 963

Four-time Formula 1 world champion Sebastian Vettel is entering new territory as he prepares to test a Porsche 963 in a 36-hour test conducted by Porsche Penske Motorsports at Motorland Aragon in Spain.

“I’m looking forward to testing the Porsche 963” said Vettel. “I’ve always followed other racing series and my curiosity for endurance events encouraged me to just give it a shot. Now I’m excited about the long run in Aragon and I’m looking forward to my time behind the wheel. It’ll definitely take an adjustment and some getting used to, but everyone in the team is very open and helps me.

“This will be a new experience for me. We will then see what happens next in this respect — at the moment there are no further plans for the future.”

The German driver has already prepared extensively for the test, having met the operations crew at the Porsche Penske Motorsport facility in Mannheim and completing an extended simulator session at Porsche Motorsport. He had a brief taste of the 963 on the in-house test track at the Weissach R&D Center. It proved to be an unusual experience for the 36-year old; after 299 F1 starts, it had been some time since Vettel had driven a racing car with a roof – previously only at the Race of Champions or turning demo laps.