Mark Webber's retirement from professional motorsport at the end of 2016 will mark more than the end of a career that netted nine Formula 1 grands prix victories and the '15 World Endurance championship. It also opens up a space in one of the most exciting manufacturer seats in motorsport.
Porsche has made a predictably impressive impact on Le Mans and the WEC since it returned to top-level sportscar racing in 2014. Not only has the 919 Hybrid twice won the Le Mans 24 Hours, it is well on its way to a second drivers' and manufacturers' double crown.
The space alongside Webber's fellow 2015 world champions Timo Bernhard and Brendon Hartley is therefore a coveted one. So who should Porsche choose?
Given his experience, abilities and popularity, Jenson Button might have been considered a prime candidate had he decided to fully turn his back on F1 at the end of 2016. His '17 non-racing McLaren role makes that unlikely, but there is another Briton who should get the contract.
There are plenty of quality drivers around, both in endurance racing and on the single-seater ladder below F1, but Porsche has a fine roster of GT drivers and has admitted it islikely to pick from one of those.
Two of them have already proved they can cut it in the heat of LMP1 battle. Nick Tandy and New Zealander Earl Bamber are inevitably high on the list, given they delivered Porsche a record 17th success in the world's most important race at Le Mans.
Both performed brilliantly - along with fellow LMP1 Le Mans rookie Nico Hulkenberg - in the 'third' 919 in the 2015 edition of the French classic, beating Webber/Bernhard/Hartley by a lap. They only lost the opportunity to defend that victory this year thanks to the Volkswagen 'dieselgate' scandal and the subsequent loss of the third Porsche for Spa and Le Mans.
Tandy and Bamber have fine pedigrees and both have continued to test the various versions of the 919 since their success. Either would undoubtedly do a superb job, but Tandy is arguably the stronger choice.
Throughout his junior career, Tandy had to dig deep in unfancied cars, whether they be Ray chassis in British Formula Ford or Mygale in British Formula 3.
Such experiences developed an ability to maximise the machinery that, combined with tough racecraft honed in his early Mini competition days, would make him invaluable in the ever-tougher battles Porsche finds itself with WEC rivals Audi and Toyota.
Tandy can also pull out something special when required. Even early on there were some standout performances – lapping two seconds quicker than everyone else in a wet Brands Hatch Formula Ford Festival final in 2006; winning on his Porsche Carrera Cup debut on a guest drive; challenging the Carlin Dallara of Daniel Ricciardo during the '09 British F3 campaign – that showed he is a rare talent.
It should have been no surprise that when he got an opportunity in competitive one-make Porsches he immediately proved a force. Victories in the British and German Carrera Cups, and the F1-supporting Supercup, led to Tandy becoming a factory Porsche GT driver in 2013.
From Porsche's point of view, that also makes him a great example and ambassador for its motorsport ladder: someone who climbed all the way from the firm's national-level series to outright Le Mans winner. Along the way he has also driven for (and won with) a number of Porsche's customer teams, from British GT to the International GT Open.
Since then, he has proved he can rise to the big occasion and deliver when it matters. At Petit Le Mans in 2013, he was crucial in defeating BMW for GT victory, holding firm despite pressure in the closing stages.
For someone better known for his daring overtaking attempts, Tandy demonstrated in that race he has the ability to defend as well.
He then scored class honours in the 2014 Daytona 24 Hours and – after putting in a stellar night shift on his way to winning Le Mans outright in only his second LMP1 start – showcased his wet-weather abilities by taking his GT car to overall victory against the Daytona Prototypes in the '15 Petit Le Mans, alongside Patrick Pilet.
It was another David versus Goliath success. Tandy's results against the odds make the idea of him driving what is arguably the WEC's best car tantalising.
Tandy had so many commitments and programmes in 2015 that he couldn't fight for a title, but he still played his part in helping Pilet, a driver Tandy rates highly, to the United SportsCar GTLM driver's crown.
The 2015 season helped underline how versatile Tandy is. He has always been able to jump into unfamiliar machinery and quickly get on the pace, and last year he was a winner in LMP1 (Le Mans) and LMP2 (almost helping KCMG duo Richard Bradley and Matt Howson to the class title) in WEC, and in the USC's highly competitive GTLM (GTE) class in the United States. He consequently also has an unusual insight into the performance abilities of all the main endurance classes.
It was his strength of adapting rapidly that helped earn Tandy his LMP1 chance in the first place. His pace in his crucial 919 test at the end of 2014 not only earned him the '15 Le Mans drive, it also reputedly proved quicker than the benchmark regular on hand.
It's a theme that has often come up when Tandy has climbed into a 919. He's not just quick for a 'third car' driver, he's as fast as (or faster than) the regulars. He was also marginally faster than both Hulkenberg and Bamber during their successful 2015 Le Mans assault.
"He's one of those freaks," said another past Le Mans winner recently on the subject of Tandy's pace.
Tandy knows what's needed to be fast. Although he often cultivates something of an old-school 'jump in and simply drive it faster than anyone else' attitude, he is actually far more methodical than that.
Even in relatively low-key guest drives, he does his research on the likely leading opposition and brings others along to keep an eye on the frontrunners to glean any extra knowledge that might be useful. It's the sort of approach top drivers have.
He has also been used by teams to gauge just where they stand. British squad Motorbase Performance brought in Tandy to assess both its Carrera Cup and British Touring Car efforts during troubled campaigns.
The former led to three wins (and a puncture while leading) from four starts during the 2011 Porsche Carrera Cup GB, while Motorbase's Ford Focus was undoubtedly more competitive in the BTCC after Tandy's '13 mid-season Snetterton test. And that was a decade after his previous front-wheel-drive experience in a Mini.
It's perhaps unsurprising that Tandy has been part of Porsche's team of development drivers, in particular with the ever-evolving GTE and GT3 racing variations of the 911. He is a trusted and known part of the legendary German marque's international operation.
For sportscar fans, the addition of Tandy would also help spice up the already enthralling LMP1 battles. Like a Nigel Mansell or Lewis Hamilton, he can make things happen in a race.
Tandy is not the sort to simply shadow a rival around for lap after lap. His F3 passes at Silverstone in 2009, for example, grabbed attention in a category notorious for being follow-the-leader.
In his early days, that boldness did mean Tandy got involved in a few too many incidents, but such moments are fewer and farther between now. As he says, "it took me time to tone it down and I've become a much better championship driver".
Main rival Bamber has a fine single-seater record – indeed, he got further up the ladder than Tandy – and has Carrera Cup Asia and Supercup titles to his name. He and Frederic Makowiecki have also enjoyed a better USC season than Tandy/Pilet, albeit during a difficult campaign for the whole team.
The 26-year-old's time will surely come, but he is a more recent addition to the Porsche roster and has yet to pull off quite the remarkable series of performances that Tandy has managed.
In short, Tandy has the pace, the experience, the Porsche pedigree and the ability to produce something special.
At 31, he not only deserves his chance in a full-time LMP1 seat – Nick Tandy is ready for it too.
Mark Webber's retirement from professional motorsport at the end of 2016 will mark more than the end of a career that netted nine Formula 1 grands prix victories and the '15 World Endurance championship. It also opens up a space in one of the most exciting manufacturer seats in motorsport.
Porsche has made a predictably impressive impact on Le Mans and the WEC since it returned to top-level sportscar racing in 2014. Not only has the 919 Hybrid twice won the Le Mans 24 Hours, it is well on its way to a second drivers' and manufacturers' double crown.
The space alongside Webber's fellow 2015 world champions Timo Bernhard and Brendon Hartley is therefore a coveted one. So who should Porsche choose?
Given his experience, abilities and popularity, Jenson Button might have been considered a prime candidate had he decided to fully turn his back on F1 at the end of 2016. His '17 non-racing McLaren role makes that unlikely, but there is another Briton who should get the contract.
There are plenty of quality drivers around, both in endurance racing and on the single-seater ladder below F1, but Porsche has a fine roster of GT drivers and has admitted it islikely to pick from one of those.
Two of them have already proved they can cut it in the heat of LMP1 battle. Nick Tandy and New Zealander Earl Bamber are inevitably high on the list, given they delivered Porsche a record 17th success in the world's most important race at Le Mans.
Both performed brilliantly - along with fellow LMP1 Le Mans rookie Nico Hulkenberg - in the 'third' 919 in the 2015 edition of the French classic, beating Webber/Bernhard/Hartley by a lap. They only lost the opportunity to defend that victory this year thanks to the Volkswagen 'dieselgate' scandal and the subsequent loss of the third Porsche for Spa and Le Mans.
Tandy and Bamber have fine pedigrees and both have continued to test the various versions of the 919 since their success. Either would undoubtedly do a superb job, but Tandy is arguably the stronger choice.
Throughout his junior career, Tandy had to dig deep in unfancied cars, whether they be Ray chassis in British Formula Ford or Mygale in British Formula 3.
Such experiences developed an ability to maximise the machinery that, combined with tough racecraft honed in his early Mini competition days, would make him invaluable in the ever-tougher battles Porsche finds itself with WEC rivals Audi and Toyota.
Tandy can also pull out something special when required. Even early on there were some standout performances – lapping two seconds quicker than everyone else in a wet Brands Hatch Formula Ford Festival final in 2006; winning on his Porsche Carrera Cup debut on a guest drive; challenging the Carlin Dallara of Daniel Ricciardo during the '09 British F3 campaign – that showed he is a rare talent.
It should have been no surprise that when he got an opportunity in competitive one-make Porsches he immediately proved a force. Victories in the British and German Carrera Cups, and the F1-supporting Supercup, led to Tandy becoming a factory Porsche GT driver in 2013.
From Porsche's point of view, that also makes him a great example and ambassador for its motorsport ladder: someone who climbed all the way from the firm's national-level series to outright Le Mans winner. Along the way he has also driven for (and won with) a number of Porsche's customer teams, from British GT to the International GT Open.
Since then, he has proved he can rise to the big occasion and deliver when it matters. At Petit Le Mans in 2013, he was crucial in defeating BMW for GT victory, holding firm despite pressure in the closing stages.
For someone better known for his daring overtaking attempts, Tandy demonstrated in that race he has the ability to defend as well.
He then scored class honours in the 2014 Daytona 24 Hours and – after putting in a stellar night shift on his way to winning Le Mans outright in only his second LMP1 start – showcased his wet-weather abilities by taking his GT car to overall victory against the Daytona Prototypes in the '15 Petit Le Mans, alongside Patrick Pilet.
It was another David versus Goliath success. Tandy's results against the odds make the idea of him driving what is arguably the WEC's best car tantalising.
Tandy had so many commitments and programmes in 2015 that he couldn't fight for a title, but he still played his part in helping Pilet, a driver Tandy rates highly, to the United SportsCar GTLM driver's crown.
The 2015 season helped underline how versatile Tandy is. He has always been able to jump into unfamiliar machinery and quickly get on the pace, and last year he was a winner in LMP1 (Le Mans) and LMP2 (almost helping KCMG duo Richard Bradley and Matt Howson to the class title) in WEC, and in the USC's highly competitive GTLM (GTE) class in the United States. He consequently also has an unusual insight into the performance abilities of all the main endurance classes.
It was his strength of adapting rapidly that helped earn Tandy his LMP1 chance in the first place. His pace in his crucial 919 test at the end of 2014 not only earned him the '15 Le Mans drive, it also reputedly proved quicker than the benchmark regular on hand.
It's a theme that has often come up when Tandy has climbed into a 919. He's not just quick for a 'third car' driver, he's as fast as (or faster than) the regulars. He was also marginally faster than both Hulkenberg and Bamber during their successful 2015 Le Mans assault.
"He's one of those freaks," said another past Le Mans winner recently on the subject of Tandy's pace.
Tandy knows what's needed to be fast. Although he often cultivates something of an old-school 'jump in and simply drive it faster than anyone else' attitude, he is actually far more methodical than that.
Even in relatively low-key guest drives, he does his research on the likely leading opposition and brings others along to keep an eye on the frontrunners to glean any extra knowledge that might be useful. It's the sort of approach top drivers have.
He has also been used by teams to gauge just where they stand. British squad Motorbase Performance brought in Tandy to assess both its Carrera Cup and British Touring Car efforts during troubled campaigns.
The former led to three wins (and a puncture while leading) from four starts during the 2011 Porsche Carrera Cup GB, while Motorbase's Ford Focus was undoubtedly more competitive in the BTCC after Tandy's '13 mid-season Snetterton test. And that was a decade after his previous front-wheel-drive experience in a Mini.
It's perhaps unsurprising that Tandy has been part of Porsche's team of development drivers, in particular with the ever-evolving GTE and GT3 racing variations of the 911. He is a trusted and known part of the legendary German marque's international operation.
For sportscar fans, the addition of Tandy would also help spice up the already enthralling LMP1 battles. Like a Nigel Mansell or Lewis Hamilton, he can make things happen in a race.
Tandy is not the sort to simply shadow a rival around for lap after lap. His F3 passes at Silverstone in 2009, for example, grabbed attention in a category notorious for being follow-the-leader.
In his early days, that boldness did mean Tandy got involved in a few too many incidents, but such moments are fewer and farther between now. As he says, "it took me time to tone it down and I've become a much better championship driver".
Main rival Bamber has a fine single-seater record – indeed, he got further up the ladder than Tandy – and has Carrera Cup Asia and Supercup titles to his name. He and Frederic Makowiecki have also enjoyed a better USC season than Tandy/Pilet, albeit during a difficult campaign for the whole team.
The 26-year-old's time will surely come, but he is a more recent addition to the Porsche roster and has yet to pull off quite the remarkable series of performances that Tandy has managed.
In short, Tandy has the pace, the experience, the Porsche pedigree and the ability to produce something special.
At 31, he not only deserves his chance in a full-time LMP1 seat – Nick Tandy is ready for it too.
