WEC News: Nato, Hanson & Ilott for JOTA Hypercar Line-Up
HERTZ Team JOTA has confirmed three more of its 2024 FIA WEC drivers today, with Norman Nato, Phil Hanson and Callum Ilott all added to the team’s driver roster for its expanded two-car Hypercar campaign next year.
Frenchman Nato will drive in the team’s new #12 Porsche 963 in 2024, alongside British racer Ilott and previously-confirmed team returnee Will Stevens.
The #12 for JOTA’s second Hypercar for 2024 is a nod to team backer Tom Brady’s NFL number.
Hanson meanwhile, will drive the #38 alongside Oliver Rasmussen (who steps up from JOTA’s LMP2 programme) and an unnamed third driver. The final driver will be announced in due course.
Neither Antonio Felix da Costa or Yifei Ye, who shared the car with Stevens in 2023, will return to JOTA next season. Da Costa is set to focus on his 2024 Formula E campaign while Ye is believed to be part of the private AF Corse Ferrari 499P effort.
For all three of the drivers confirmed today, the 2024 FIA WEC season will be their first spent racing in Hypercar. Nato is the only one of the trio with top class WEC experience, as the Frenchman was part of Rebellion Racing’s LMP1 line-up in 2020.
Hanson meanwhile, returns to the WEC with this deal and adds it to his previously announced IMSA Endurance Cup campaign with JDC-Miller in GTP, during which he will also race a Porsche 963.
The 24-year-old first completed a full campaign in the FIA WEC in 2020, after setting the record as the youngest overall finisher at the 24 Hours of Le Mans on his maiden appearance in 2017. He then became LMP2 champion in the 2019-20 season – the same year he won at Le Mans and secured the European Le Mans Series title in a fantastic hat-trick.
“I am thrilled to be joining Hertz Team JOTA for the 2024 FIA World Endurance Championship season. It’s been my ambition to race in Hypercar since I made my full season debut in WEC four years ago, and to be given the opportunity with such a successful team as JOTA is a privilege,” he said.
Ilott is also excited to be joining JOTA for 2024. The 25-year-old Briton brings a huge amount of high-level single-seater experience to the team. The former GP3 and GP2 racer has served as a Red Bull Junior, Scuderia Ferrari test driver and Alfa Romeo F1 reserve. He has also raced in IndyCar and at Le Mans back in 2021 with Iron Lynx in GTE Am.
“I’m so excited to be racing a Porsche in the top-class with Hertz Team JOTA. I had a two-day test recently and the car felt great and was enjoyable to driver, he added.
“I’ve been ultra-impressed with the team, they’re incredibly professional, and I already know that with the Porsche, we’re going to be challenging for top results next season and hopefully success at Le Mans itself.
“The team were incredibly impressive this season especially considering they began their season at Spa in May after limited running and then performed extremely well at Le Mans the following month.
“2024 will mark my first full year in WEC having made a one-off Le Mans appearance a couple of years ago. The calendar looks fantastic and it’ll be great racing at some of the historic European tracks again like Imola, Spa and of course Le Mans.
“It’s a super impressive series [WEC] attracting many famous car manufacturers and top-class drivers from around the World. I can’t wait for Qatar.”