Porsche Supercup to remain as F1 support series in 2017

The Porsche Supercup will remain as a support series to select Formula One races for the next three seasons, the car manufacturer has announced.

The series, which is set to celebrate its 25th anniversary next year, is used similarly to GP2 and GP3 in racing on tracks in the Formula One calendar and will continue to race until 2019.

Races in Spain, Monaco, Austria, Britain, Hungary, Germany, Belgium, Italy and the United States before the Formula One races on these tracks have made up the calendar for the series for the last three years.

The category is also expected to feature a different type of car in the 2017 season with a brand new 911 GT3 car set to be driven by the drivers.

Formula One’s chief executive Bernie Ecclestone was happy to continue with the series as part of the atmosphere of some weekends in the sport.

“We appreciate the association with Porsche as they are a dedicated and reliable partner,” Ecclestone said.

“The Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup has established itself as a regular fixture on the Formula One support programs and is a part of the show.”

Porsche Motorsport’s Dr Frank-Steffen Walliser was delighted to have a confirmed future for the company to work with.

“The contract extension in this premium setting allows us as the series organiser to offer our teams a solid basis for long-term planning,” Walliser said.

This season’s championship ends with a double-header of races at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin in late October.

Sven Muller leads Matteo Cairoli by two points with a total of 135 points in their Drivers’ Championship ahead of the final weekend of the season.