Lotterer explains the “golden opportunity” behind Genesis' move

Three-time 24 Hours of Le Mans winner Andre Lotterer has described joining Genesis for the 2026 World Endurance Championship as a “golden opportunity.”

The reigning WEC Hypercar champion, who’s moving to the South Korean manufacturer after eight seasons with Porsche, told Motorsport.com that the move will allow him to construct something that may last even after his driving profession ends.

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“This opportunity is like gold at this stage of my career,” said the 43-year-old Lotterer, who this yr will lead the event of the LMDh, which shall be often known as the Genesis GMR-001 Hypercar, with Pipo Derani and can then sit down within the 2026 WEC races.

“Being on the very starting of something is a privilege: it's a likelihood to make use of all my experience and knowledge to construct something for the longer term.

“The mission is to build a great team that will continue beyond my races. I want to see the fruits of this when I stop riding, knowing that I contributed in a big way.”

Lotterer pointed to the differences between his time at Audi – which resulted in his three Le Mans wins in 2011, '12 and '14, in addition to a WEC LMP1 crown in 2012 – and Porsche.

“I always raced for established teams, whether it was Audi or Porsche,” he explained. “If I look back at my career, it's different, but that's what makes it very motivating and, hopefully, rewarding.”

Genesis Magma Racing presentation

As he enters the ultimate phase of his profession, Lotterer believes he still has one other Le Mans victory in his sights.

“If I didn't think I could handle it, I wouldn't have taken on this challenge,” he said. “It's a really perfect scenario, but all of us realize it won't be easy.

“But I think the LMDh platform allows you to get there faster than LMP1; look at the Porsche, they decided [to do it] in 2011 and required a huge amount of work and resources by the time they came into force in 2014.”

Lotterer confirmed that he was in talks to increase his contract with Porsche after he was not employed within the WEC Hypercar squad after signing the contract.

“We were on good terms, I could have stayed,” he said.

“I thought as a Porsche fan we could grow old together, but when we talked about what they could offer, it didn't stimulate me, and neither did the Genesis project.”