Pino, Varrone Complete Proton Porsche Hypercar Squad

Photo: Julien Delfosse/DPPI

Proton Competition’s full driver lineup for the new FIA World Endurance Championship season has been confirmed, with Neel Jani being joined in the German team’s customer Porsche 963 by Nico Pino and Nico Varrone.

The news was revealed via an updated full-season WEC entry list, with the previous version released last year having only listed Jani against the No. 99 car.

Chilean racer Pino steps up to the Hypercar ranks after a season racing a McLaren 720S GT3 Evo for United Autosports squad in the LMGT3 last year.

He is making his first outing for Proton in next week’s Rolex 24 at Daytona, sharing the No. 5 Porsche 963 with Jani, Tristan Vautier and Julien Andlauer.

Varrone meanwhile returns to the WEC having previously been part of Corvette Racing’s GTE-Am title-winning crew in 2023 with Nicky Catsburg and Ben Keating.

The Argentinian driver, who was named a Corvette factory driver off the back of that success, made two IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship outings for AWA before the program came to a halt, after which he took on a European Le Mans Series program in the LMGT3 class at the wheel of an AF Corse Ferrari 296 GT3.

He also raced in the LMP2 class at the 24 Hours of Le Mans with AF, taking Pro-Am honors alongside Ben Barnicoat and Francois Perrodo.

Varrone will combine his Proton WEC drive with his IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup commitments for Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports.

Proton scored a best finish of fifth in last year’s WEC with Jani and Andlauer in the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps, with Harry Tincknell also part of the team’s lineup for its inaugural season running customer Porsche LMDh machinery.

Andlauer has been promoted to the factory Porsche Penske Motorsport squad for 2025, while Tincknell switches to the new The Heart of Racing-run Aston Martin outfit.