SILVERSTONE - Audi LMP1 race engineer Leena Gade is set to leave the German marque following the 24 Hours of Le Mans in June.
Gade joined Audi in 2007 before becoming the first female engineer to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2011 with Andre Lotterer, Marcel Fassler and Benoit Treluyer.
Gade followed this up with her first FIA World Endurance Championship title in 2012, as well as winning the series’ ‘Man of the Year’ award.
Another victory at Le Mans followed in 2014, but Gade is now set to leave Audi following the upcoming 24-hour race on June 19, as confirmed to NBC Sports by a team spokesperson.
“Leena Gade, the race engineer for the number 7 Audi R18, will be leaving Audi Sport after the Le Mans 24 Hours,” a statement from the team read.
“However, she is breaking in her successor, Erik Schuivens, in testing and racing operations. His involvement will begin with the season opener at Silverstone.”
This weekend’s 6 Hours of Silverstone acts as the curtain raiser for the 2016 FIA WEC season, the fifth in the history of the series.