Porsche Motorsport vice president Thomas Laudenbach confirmed that the team's current problems with the FIA played “no role at all” in the manufacturer's decision to commit to the Gen4 era.
It was previously announced ahead of this weekend's Shanghai E-Prix that the German manufacturer has signed up for the Gen4 era of Formula E, meaning Porsche will remain in the all-electric series until at least the end of 2030.
This decision was made despite existing disagreements with the FIA, against which Porsche has appealed twice in the past 11 months – both incidents involving Antonio Felix da Costa.
In the London season finals last season, da Costa missed out on the podium after being subjected to a staggering three-minute penalty, due to tire pressure falling below the minimum.
This was caused by a slow puncture after hitting debris, however the tire was given a full clearance by the FIA during the red flag period.
Porsche saw that the International Court of Appeal rejected this appeal four months after the end of the ninth season.
“Very clear answer”
Most recently, da Costa was disqualified from the opening race of the Misano E-Prix several hours after taking an emotional win.
The former champion was disqualified after a technical violation, which the board described as not conducive to improving performance.
Porsche has appealed the decision to disqualify da Costa, and a ruling is expected to be issued next month. There have been other incidents during the race between the Stuttgart-based team and the FIA, but peace talks between the two organizations appear to have taken place.
however, Racing News 365 Laudenbach asked whether Porsche's recent incidents with the FIA played a role in the decision to commit to Gen4.
“Not at all,” Laudenbach stressed. Racing News 365. “No, very clear answer. No.”
“I mean, sometimes you have issues that you want to clear up together, which is what we do.
“But it has nothing to do with our long-term involvement with the commitment to the series. So the answer is definitely no. No.”
