The decision to leave is never easy
A racer at the top of his game changes course
The decision to leave home is never easy. As a young adult, the move out of the family home can be a scary but necessary part of life. In a work environment, the routine can become comforting, and the people around you are like an extended family. Those bonds, and the inertia of staying put, can be strong and quite difficult to overcome.
For many young racing drivers, these elements are rolled into one. Racing talent is often spotted early in life, and it’s not uncommon for major manufacturers to recruit drivers in their pre-teen years. If successful, a young driver could be associated with the same team or manufacturer from the age of ten or twelve through their mid-twenties.
That is not only a long time, but also a period of critical growth in a person’s life and can lead to powerful ties. In those cases where the bonds last for a decade or more, the decision to leave can be even trickier to make and deal with.
That is why I found French driver Mathieu Jaminet’s announcement at the end of the season that he was leaving Porsche to be very interesting. Jaminet, 31, has been associated with Porsche for over a decade. While his relationship didn’t start as young as some Formula 1 drivers, Porsche was still very much his home and marked his growth from junior driver to a factory “works” driver and champion.
With Porsche’s support, Jaminet proved himself in various racing series in Europe before being promoted to a full factory driver in 2020. As a factory driver, Jaminet drove where Porsche wanted him to represent the brand best.
He moved from single-driver sprint race formats to longer races in which two or more drivers share the car. It didn’t take long for Jaminet and a fellow driver who came up through the Porsche ranks during the same time, Matt Campbell, to pair up and win the GTD PRO championship in IMSA in 2022.
The two dominated the season in the fan-favorite “Plaid Porsche” for the Canadian team Pfaff Motorsports. After doing so well in 2022, Porsche tagged him to pilot their new prototype class (GTP) 963 race car in 2023.
As the new class entered IMSA racing in North America and the World Endurance Championship (WEC), Jaminet drove the No. 6 car full-time in IMSA and served as a third driver in the longer WEC endurance races, including the 24 Hours of Le Mans. In 2024, he and his co-driver, Nick Tandy, finished second in the IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Championship standings behind their teammate, the No. 7 car.
In 2025, Porsche changed the driver lineups and once again paired Jaminet with Matt Campbell. Again, the duo won the championship. This time, they didn’t win by dominating the competition, but by consistent performances throughout the season, finishing outside the top five only once.
Due to massive turbulence in the automotive market and the enormous financial losses at the corporate level in 2025, Porsche announced it would withdraw its factory race team from the WEC for 2026. The move was a dramatic one, sure to shake up the driver market in Europe and North America. Porsche’s WEC drivers were some of the best in the world, and if Porsche couldn’t keep them, other teams would certainly snap them up.
With two fewer cars to race, Porsche would have to figure out where to place four drivers for 2026. Changes to the IMSA lineup were all but inevitable, but the announcement from Jaminet that he was leaving Porsche was still a surprise. He had just won his second major championship for the brand, and it didn’t appear that his seat was in jeopardy.
Jaminet’s initial press release announcing his departure was brief, simply stating that it was time for him to start a new chapter. But he did have one quote that showed just how big a decision it was for him.
“It’s been one of the hardest decisions of my life, but I felt it was the right time to move on. I’ll never forget what this brand did for me 10 years ago: taking a kid with no backing, no money, just a dream and giving me a chance,” said Jaminet. “To everyone who has been a part of this journey, teammates, engineers, mechanics, and friends – thank you. We achieved things I once only dreamed of.”
His role with Porsche did not end on October 31st, when he announced that 2025 would be his last season with the manufacturer. Jaminet was in the lineup as the third driver for the final race of the WEC calendar.
During that final event in Bahrain, it was refreshing to see a heartfelt interview from Jaminet. Unlike many departures between drivers and teams, Jaminet’s appears to be free of any ill will from either side.
“To be [with a team for] so long, for 10 years, not many drivers do these days. I think we can be proud of how it went,” said Jaminet. “That’s how I feel, and I think this is also how they feel. We have no friction or anything. We’re still friends. They understood my decision.”
As expected, it didn’t take long for Jaminet’s next chapter to begin. He recently announced that he will join a new manufacturer for its first season in the WEC prototype competition in 2026. The new team is from Hyundai’s flagship brand, Genesis, and is their first foray into the top class of sports car racing.
By joining this effort, Jaminet has the chance to lend his experience and expertise to a manufacturer’s motorsport debut and make history for a new brand. He will be the second former Porsche factory driver signed by Genesis, joining Andre Lotterer.
Going from a motorsport titan like Porsche to an upstart in its first attempt at endurance racing will be quite a challenge for Jaminet. And it may be that change of perspective that made his decision easier. Racers all want to win, but building a team into a contender from the ground up offers a new level of excitement and opportunity. It will be interesting to watch for sure.