Australia’s Mark Webber has announced he will leave Formula One at the end of the 2013 season.

The Red Bull driver has signed a multi-year deal with Porsche and will compete at the Le Mans 24 Hours and World Endurance Championship under their new sportscar program.

The 36-year-old said on Thursday he was looking forward to joining Porsche after 12 years in F1.

“Porsche has written racing history as a manufacturer and stands for outstanding performance and technology at the highest level,” he said in a statement.

“I’m very much looking forward to this new challenge after my time in Formula One. I can hardly wait to pilot one of the fastest sports cars in the world.”

Red Bull boss Christian Horner said earlier this week that Lotus’s Kimi Raikkonen could replace Webber as Sebastian Vettel’s teammate if the Australian made a decision not to continue with the team.

Fellow Australia Daniel Ricciardo and Jean-Eric Vergne of Toro Rosso remain other possible options to take the second driving spot at Red Bull.

Webber boasts nine grands prix victories and 36 podium finishes in his F1 career.