Root Joins Team Project 1’s Monza Lineup

American driver Max Root has joined Team Project 1 for the German squad’s FIA World Endurance Championship entry into this weekend’s six-hour round at Monza.

Root is set to team up with Dennis Olsen and Anders Buchardt in the No. 46 Porsche 911 RSR-19 for his first WEC appearance outside the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

The 22-year-old shared a JMW Motorsport Ferrari 488 GTE Evo with Jan Magnussen and Richard Heistand at Le Mans last year.

Root, who is the reigning Fanatec GT World Challenge America powered by AWS Am category champion, replaces Axcil Jefferies who was named as one of the No. 46 Porsche’s drivers on the provisional and updated entry lists for Monza.

The No. 46 Project 1 car missed the second round of the season at Portimao following a crash for Buchardt in the build-up to the Total 6 Hours of Spa season-opener.

The team’s sister No. 56 Porsche is due to feature the unchanged lineup of Matteo Cairoli, Riccardo Pera and Egidio Perfetti at Monza.

“I could not be more excited to join Dennis and Anders and Team Project 1 to navigate the temple of speed, one of the most famous racing circuits in the world,” said Root.

“When you are racing in the World Endurance Championship, you have to extract every last bit out of the car and its setup to compete with the best drivers in the world.

“Massive thanks to Hans-Bernd Kamps, Axel Funke, Christian Kuhn and Team Project 1 for giving me such an opportunity.”

Root’s outing at Monza will mark his first behind the wheel of a GTE-spec Porsche, having driven the German brand’s single-make Cup and GT3 machinery in the past.

In January, Root lined up for WEC outfit TF Sport in the Rolex 24 at Daytona, driving an Aston Martin Vantage GT3. He also took the overall pole for the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge round at Sebring in a Wright-entered Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport.

Despite Root’s presence at Project 1, Jefferies is still named on the latest version of the 6 Hours of Monza entry list which also includes a change of driver in the No. 85 Iron Lynx Ferrari 488 GTE Evo.

WEC debutant Sarah Bovy has replaced Manuela Gostner as the Iron Dames program’s designated Bronze-rated driver.