– All races contested alongside Formula 1: Opening round at the Monaco Grand Prix this coming weekend
– Capacity grid: 28 registered drivers
– Celebrity newcomer: Motorcycle world champion Jorge Lorenzo advances from the Porsche Carrera Cup Italia to contest the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup
The 2023 Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup season gets underway this weekend at the Monaco Grand Prix (25 to 28 May). The original season opener could not go ahead after the cancellation of the Formula 1 race last weekend in Imola, Italy. Catastrophic storms and flooding made it impossible to hold this event. A fleet of 28 ca. 375 kW (510 PS) Porsche 911 GT3 Cup will line up on the grid of the legendary street circuit in the Principality of Monaco. There, the new Porsche Junior Bastian Buus from Denmark will go up against the likes of five-time motorcycle world champion Jorge Lorenzo from Spain.
The international aspect is one of the strong points of the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup, the most challenging of Porsche’s one-make cups worldwide. The 28 registered drivers contesting the full 2023 season come from 15 different countries. The spectrum of homelands ranges from Europe to the USA, from South Africa to South America and, for the first time, also includes a driver from North Macedonia. All competitors will race in technically identical 375 kW (510 PS) Porsche 911 GT3 Cup vehicles.
The most famous newcomer among the permanent drivers in the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup is the five-time motorbike world champion Jorge Lorenzo. The Spaniard competes with an Italian license and in 2022 has contested a full season of the Porsche Carrera Cup Italia as well as one Supercup race as a guest driver in Porsche Motorsport’s VIP car.
Lorenzo’s rivals include ten young drivers who are tackling their first Supercup season. These rookies, who are no older than 25 years, will compete for prize money totalling 25,000 euros. The rookie champion receives an additional 30,000 euros on condition that he returns to contest the entire Supercup season the following year. One youngster from this group is Benjamin Paque. The Belgian has just turned 18.
« The Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup continues to attract young drivers, » emphasises Oliver Schwab, Project Manager Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup. « The number of rookies has increased significantly and includes the biggest talents from the national Porsche Carrera Cups. I think Bastian Buus’ success is a great incentive for them. He was our rookie champion in 2022 and has since advanced to become a Porsche Junior. I’m curious to see who among this year’s newcomers can perform as impressively against the seasoned drivers. »
Lechner Racing contests its 20th Supercup season
Because the number of Porsche 911 GT3 Cup cars permitted at the Monaco Grand Prix is capped at 28, the Supercup accepts precisely this number of permanently registered participants with guaranteed starting places. Depending on the capacity of the other racetracks, this number can increase to 32.
The permanent entrants compete for eleven teams, most of them fielding three Porsche 911 GT3 Cup cars. Starting number 1 is emblazoned on a nine-eleven fielded by last year’s team champions BWT Lechner Racing. The Austrians are about to tackle their 20th Supercup season – an impressive record. Because reigning champion Dylan Pereira will not defend his title, the new Porsche Junior Bastian Buus from Denmark will race with the prestigious number. Fach Auto Tech hails from Switzerland. Huber Racing is represented by two teams: One will compete with a German license and the other, with Jorge Lorenzo at the wheel, with an Austrian license. The French team Alméras and GP Elite from the Netherlands – for whom two-time champion Larry ten Voorde competes, among others – also run two separate teams. France is home to the CLRT squad, which races with a Belgian license, and the Italian colours are represented by Dinamic Motorsport and Ombra.
Output of about 375kW (510 PS) and fuel from renewable sources
The 2023 Supercup season marks the third year for the 992-generation Porsche 911 GT3 Cup. The output of the six-cylinder boxer engines with around four litres of displacement remains unchanged at 375 kW (510 PS). As was the case in the previous two seasons, the Supercup nine-elevens will be powered by Esso Renewable Racing Fuel, a bio-based, semi-synthetic fuel blend. In addition to the technically identical race cars, the control racing tyres from Michelin also ensure an equal playing field and gripping competition.
All races as support to Formula 1
In 2023, the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup again runs exclusively as support to Formula 1. After the cancellation of the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, seven European rounds make up the calendar. The season now kicks off at the Monaco Grand Prix, with Italy hosting the season finale at the Royal Park of Monza on the first weekend in September. In between, the teams will travel to Spielberg (Austria), Silverstone (UK), Budapest (Hungary), Spa-Francorchamps (Belgium) and Zandvoort (Netherlands).
Banque Havilland new partner to Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup
Starting with the Monaco race, Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup proudly welcomes a new partner. Banque Havilland, a well-established banking group, offers a personalised approach to wealth management, tailored to each client’s individual circumstances. Its headquarters are in Luxembourg and the group operates other locations in Liechtenstein, Switzerland, Monaco and Dubai.
Circuit de Monaco
The 3.337-kilometre street circuit in the districts of Monte-Carlo and La Condamine has been a regular fixture on the Formula 1 calendar since 1950 and is one of the world’s most storied racetracks. Where luxury vehicles and super sports cars normally cruise past the marina and casino, the narrow route will be lined with crash barriers and very few run-off areas for the Monaco Grand Prix. Ex-Formula 1 World Champion Nelson Piquet once compared racing in the Principality to ‘flying a helicopter in your living room’. The Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup was contested as part of the Monaco Grand Prix in the series’ inaugural season in 1993. Last year’s winner was the two-time Supercup champion Larry ten Voorde (Team GP Elite).
Holger Eckhardt,