Makowiecki Seeking “Human Aspect” in Life Post-Porsche

Fred Makowiecki says he’s eager to rediscover the “human aspect” to racing as he seeks to open a new chapter in his career when he leaves Porsche after 11 years as a factory driver after this weekend’s Bahrain FIA World Endurance Championship finale.

The Frenchman was confirmed to be departing the German manufacturer last week, requesting his exit as Porsche Penske Motorsport shakes up its driver lineup for the third year of its LMDh program.

Since joining the lineup of works drivers in 2014, Makowiecki has gone on to enjoy significant success with Porsche, highlighted by a class win at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2022 and an overall victory in the Nürburgring 24 in 2018.

He notably played a key role in the 963’s early development and completed the car’s initial rollout at the Weissach test circuit in January 2022.

Speaking with Sportscar365 ahead of his final race appearance with the Stuttgart brand, Makowiecki noted that he seeks a “new challenge” for his life post-Porsche.

“I got the chance to drive for a brand I dreamed about and I still have a lot of very good memories,” Makowiecki said.

“Definitely I would say it’s with a lot of emotion I’m coming here, but besides this also I think it was time to say, ‘Okay, let’s see, I need a new challenge.’

“I need to be capable to also find, not motivation because I have been always motivated in Porsche, but find maybe some different way of working.

“Because definitely motorsports [has] changed and actually we always come to a big structure and I’ve been here long.

“That’s why I was in kind of in a routine, which is sometimes not positive. That’s why it was time to say, ‘Okay, let’s have a different way for the future.’”

Makowiecki hinted his departure from Porsche was motivated by a desire to find a different working environment, indicating a willingness to feel less like a cog in a proverbial machine.

“We have real racers in our group, but you are also part of a big group,” he said.

“You have the people which are on track, but you must keep in mind there is the same amount of people which are working in a factory for that.

“And on that point, probably I think I need to be a little bit more in a human aspect and to find back what made me to want to be over the limit all the time.

“Right now I try, but sometimes it’s tough because when you are in a big structure. You have the feeling that your voice is not [heard] so much.

“Even probably it’s not true, because again, I think we have a lot of good people, but you have the feeling that sometimes your voice is not [heard].

“And this is hard at my age. Especially when most of the people are younger than me.

“What I’m looking for, it’s mainly people which have the same spirit than me, the same vision. Like this, you don’t need to fight to be [heard], because everything comes naturally.

“It’s more you can do whatever you want. It’s a little bit like when you are in a couple, when you are together, everything is fine.

“When by the time you start to see the life slightly different,  you start to have some argumentation. It’s the same.

“It’s to say, ‘Okay let’s try to find people which have the same vision [as] me.’

“Because I’m totally aware when you are in a big company like Porsche, you need to do some compromise. Is it a big or small compromise to compare what you expect? This is what is important for me.

“Definitely I know everywhere it will be some compromise, but [as] an example I want to find people which have the same approach as me.

“I dedicate my life to racing. I was passionate about racing when I was already four or five years old. I wrote at school that I will be a racing driver and from that I did everything to make it happen.

“I was lucky this happened and I want to finish my career like that.

“I have to work with a group of people which want the same as me, give me this adrenaline I got in the past. I got it in Porsche, but sometimes it’s harder in a structure as we are.”

Makowiecki revealed that he was the one to request his exit from Porsche, noting that he was careful to do it early enough that it wouldn’t hinder the brand’s decision-making process for its 2025 lineups.

The Frenchman has been rumored for a move to Alpine’s LMDh effort as that program enters its second season, with Makowiecki stating that he still holds the ambition to add to his success in the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

“I want to win Le Mans overall if possible and let’s see if it’s possible or not,” he said. “Definitely it’s a goal because as a French [driver], definitely Le Mans is something special. 

“At my age to say, ‘OK, let’s go and try to see somewhere else,’ for sure it’s a challenge.

“But I’m quite sure, there is people which have the same vision as me and if we can agree, let’s see what can happen in the future.

“But definitely motorsports changed a lot because where I come from the structures were a lot smaller.

“If you have a look at the size of the manufacturer or a private team now to compare how many people were working to operate the car in the past, we are close to the double.

“That’s why everything became a lot bigger. I need to find the people where it’s bigger but with still the mindset from where how I see to work in the right way.”