» WTCC: Reigning champ to join Formula E?

Two-time FIA World Touring car Championship winner José María López could exit the series at the end of the season and switch to the World Endurance Championship and the FIA Formula E Championship next year, according to the latest paddock gossip.

The future of the defending champion has been the subject of intense speculation for much of the year following Citroën’s pre-season announcement that its factory supported team would withdraw from the WTCC at the end of the season.

Although declining to personally comment on his planned whereabouts in 2017, López confirmed that he had no plans to formally confirm his future until the end of the season.

The Argentinean is linked with joining the Toyota Gazoo Racing team in the World Endurance Championship and the Citroën-supported DS Virgin Racing Formula E team.

López is currently well on track to cement a hat-trick of WTCC titles, heading into August’s Race of Argentina with a 101-point lead in the Drivers’ Championship standings after last weekend’s Race of Portugal at Vila Real, where he was uncharacteristically off-form and could do no better than a pair of fifth-placed finishes.

Image via FIA WTCC