Picariello Drops Out of Nissan Running, Stays With Porsche

Alessio Picariello has dropped out of the running for a SUPER GT seat with Nissan in 2024 after announcing he will remain a Porsche driver next season.

As previously reported by Sportscar365, Belgian driver Picariello was one of five drivers who took part in Nissan’s annual ‘shootout’ test at Fuji Speedway immediately following the NISMO Festival.

Picariello is understood to have driven the No. 23 NISMO entry campaigned this year by Tsugio Matsuda and Ronnie Quintarelli in the test on Dec. 4-5.

However, the 30-year-old posted on his Instagram on Friday that he will stay affiliated with Porsche in 2024, and when contacted by Sportscar365, he confirmed that he is no longer in the frame to drive with Nissan in SUPER GT.

“The test for me was never meant to lead to a seat for next year,” Picariello said. “It’s true that after the test we considered it, but it is very difficult to combine SUPER GT with other commitments.

“Nevertheless, I really enjoyed my time in the car and let’s see in the future, but for now I am fully committed to Porsche.”

Picariello has been affiliated with Porsche since he was selected by the German manufacturer’s Asia Pacific division as its ‘Selected Driver’ in 2020, a role he performed for two seasons.

This season, he won the GTE title in the European Le Mans Series sharing a Proton Competition 911 RSR-19 with Ryan Hardwick and Zacharie Robichon, while also driving in the FIA World Endurance Championship’s GTE Am class with Iron Lynx.

Picariello dropping out of the frame for a Nissan drive comes a boost to the other candidates who are vying for two vacant seats in Nissan’s 2024 GT500 lineup, namely Teppei Natori, Atsushi Miyake and Joao Paulo de Oliveira.

All three also appeared in the Fuji test along with Sacha Fenestraz, who was present to act as a benchmark owing to his previous experience on Bridgestone tires.

An announcement on Nissan’s drivers as well as confirmation of its two NISMO-run cars switching to Bridgestones is expected in January.