From chasing a Formula 1 dream to becoming a Porsche-contracted driver, Dorian Boccolacci has taken his own path through the motorsport ladder. The Frenchman once stood inside the F1 system through the Lotus academy, but ultimately found his future in GT racing – a world he believes offers some of the toughest racing competition.
“I think we’ve never seen this kind of temperatures here in Spa, especially for the 24-hour!” are the first words Boccolacci tells GT REPORT after sitting down in the Boutsen VDS hospitality restaurant. We had the pleasure of speaking to the Cannes-born driver between his appointments in an already full agenda during the Spa 24 Hours, where the heat was mainly the topic of the weekend.
Still fit and fresh, Boccolacci arrives from an autograph session in 42 degrees Celcius, where he made many fans – among them a lot of Belgians cheering for the Belgian Porsche team – happy. “It’s not really easy for all the people working here: mechanics, staff, drivers, engineers and also the fans,” he continues. “We need to stay fresh as much as possible.” Luckily, the air conditioning is on and Boccolacci knows very well how to recover between the stints.
Unlucky damage for the #2 Boutsen Porsche
Nevertheless, the 2026 edition of the endurance race in the Ardennes was tough. “We’re only with three drivers compared to the 24 Hours of Nürburgring, where we had four drivers,” Boccolacci points out. “At the same time it’s a 24-hour sprint race, so you need to keep the car in good shape until the end, for the last sprint. It’s not easy to come from 280 kph on the track, get out of the car and relax directly.”
Battle scars of the Spa 24 Hours on the #2 Boutsen Porsche.
The hard-working Boutsen VDS crew were looking at good results for both the #2 Porsche 911 GT3 R Evo – with Alessio Picariello, Boccolacci himself and Morris Schuring forming the trio, and the #10 Porsche, with Alessandro Ghiretti, Robin Knutsson and Gilles Magnus completing the line-up. Unfortunately for the #2, Schuring was hit by Ayhancan Güven going into La Source during the last couple of hours, causing significant damage.
They managed to keep the car running, but important time and a possible victory slipped away. However, the three drivers and the team can be proud looking back at how they managed the incredibly difficult race at Spa-Francorchamps.
Porsche and Boccolacci are unbeatable together: ‘I always wanted to focus on one manufacturer’
Boccolacci completed his third Spa 24 Hours and moves to the next one, flying from one circuit to another – and since 2026 with a new status: Porsche-contracted driver. He’s proud to be able to participate in the biggest and most challenging races while being supported by the Stuttgart-based marque. His journey with Porsche started five years ago, after he made his debut in GT3 in the Audi R8 LMS GT3 in 2019.
“It’s a good achievement,” Boccolacci smiles modestly when asked what it means to be one of the top drivers of the Porsche talent pool. “When I made the step from single-seaters to GT, I directly went into the Carrera Cup France and [Mobil 1] Supercup with Martinet by Alméras for two years. They gave me a great opportunity.
“The same goes for [Schumacher] CLRT when I went to join them in my third season in Porsche Carrera Cup and Supercup. I always wanted to focus on one manufacturer and it was Porsche. For me, the Porsche one-make series is where you can find really, really good drivers, especially in GT. If you can get great results there, it means you’re part of the best group of drivers.”
More drivers across different paddocks have pointed at the talent of the Porsche Cup drivers, referring to reasonably difficult balance and sensitive character of the Cup car. In addition to that, all drivers get the same material, and therefore the driver himself can make the difference. Boccolacci was one of those drivers making the difference, and Porsche noticed.
The #17 Dunlop Porsche during the 2026 Nürburgring 24 Hours.
Formula 1 dream had to make way: ‘The goal was to make my passion my job’
Looking back at Boccolacci’s path to the top of GT3 racing, many will notice that he came close to a Formula 1 seat. The F1 dream has always been there when he was growing up. Boccolacci made it to Formula 2. “I was part of the Lotus F1 Academy (between 2012 and 2015, ed.),” he says. “Of course, when you’re part of this academy, they sponsor your career and you’re evolving in a place where you see Formula 1 drivers.
“In that time, Romain Grosjean was with Lotus, so I could discuss things with him. We would go to the factory in Enstone in the United Kingdom, we trained in the simulator, we did the physical preparation. When you see that, you trust in yourself and you want the best. When you’re young… Evolving in single-seaters, to be in Formula 1, it was clearly one of my dreams.
“It was always the goal to live motorsport, to make my passion a job. GT racing was the best way for me to achieve that,” Boccolacci realized along the way. “There are a lot of manufacturers involved and they stay: there are only more coming, and the current ones aren’t leaving. For me, it was the best way to go to a manufacturer and be a factory driver.”
By saying that, Boccolacci already reveals his next goal: to reach the top of the Porsche pyramid and become a Porsche Works Driver. “For sure!” he smiles, “I would like to become a factory driver and drive maybe in the Hypercar or Formula E. Between those steps, it’s really important and also my dream to win these kinds of races: the biggest ones, like Spa 24 Hours, Nürburgring 24 Hours, Bathurst, Suzuka, Indianapolis.”
A podium for Dorian Boccolacci at Bathurst with the #86 High Class Racing Porsche.
The Frenchman already has a lot of experience racing all over the world, pointing at the many races he did in GT World Challenge, including in Asia. There’s still a part of the racing world he’d like to discover. “I would like to try America, IMSA, to see a different kind of racing,” Boccolacci reveals. “There’s a lot of management in terms of fuel saving, tires. It’s a bit different than here in GT World Challenge Europe.
“I would like to experience the different mentalities. I’ve already experienced the Asian way of racing, and I want to see what the American mentality is like – just to be a complete driver and to know how to drive each car in each continent. It will be really interesting, and a lot of teammates and drivers that I spoke to already drove there. They said it’s really special.”
Taking fans on this journey: ‘I try to show everything I can’
No matter what part of the world he is in, or where the future takes him, his fans will be part of the way. Via his social media channels and YouTube channel – BoccoTV-, Boccolacci makes them feel like they are part of his crew. His vlogs show what he does during a race weekend and help fans understand the important aspects of an event.
“I like to do it and I think there are not a lot of drivers doing the same,” he explains. “I started to do social media a couple of years ago. In the past, it was not easy to combine social media, driving, trying to have a Pro-contract…,” he laughs. “Sometimes when you see a driver with his phone out, you can get a different image of the driver.
“I always push my hardest on track, which is the main goal, but I want to show that you can do both. It’s important to bring people to the track, because in the end, when you have more fans, there are more people coming to the track, more sponsors, and that’s good for the championships and the teams.
“I try to keep some things secret, which is the difficult part!” he laughs again, “because there’s a limit to what you can film, and you need to know where that limit is, which wasn’t easy. In the end it’s a good thing. I think it makes people realize how difficult some races are, why you’re driving in the middle of the night with which tires or fuel consumption.”
In his vlogs, Boccolacci shows the good moments and the bad moments. Fans get a real picture of what his weekends are like. “Doing vlogs during each race is something that I like, because I can show what I’m doing. Sometimes they don’t really understand what drivers are doing. In a full weekend of a 24-hour race I try to show them everything that I can, so they can understand.”
