IMSA Sebring Ends With Porsche Winning And Everyone Nodding

RACE RESULTS

It has become an enduring refrain at IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup races for IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship fans in recent seasons, and Saturday’s Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring only reinforced the theme. The legendary German marque and Roger Penske’s powerhouse Grand Touring Prototype (GTP) program claimed a second consecutive Sebring victory — and the team’s third overall triumph at the historic circuit (2008, 2025).

On a warm, sunny Florida spring afternoon, the only real question was which of the team’s two Porsche 963s would take the checkered flag first. That answer remained unresolved until the dramatic final hour of the day-long endurance contest at Sebring International Raceway.

Together the two factory entries led all but 60 of the race’s 343 laps. Felipe Nasr emerged from a late pit cycle with just over 40 minutes remaining and had to withstand intense pressure from teammate Kevin Estre through a pair of late restarts. Nasr ultimately prevailed by 1.515 seconds, leading the final 22 laps to secure the hard-fought victory.

The win marked Nasr’s third overall Sebring triumph. Sharing driving duties with Julien Andlauer and Laurin Heinrich — the latter now two-for-two in IMSA GTP starts following victory in January’s Rolex 24 At Daytona — the Brazilian emphasized survival early and execution late as the key to success.

“The first hour was rough, I just wanted a clean start but other competitors had a different idea,” Nasr said. “There were 12 hours to go and I just wanted to keep the car in one piece because the last hour is what really matters.”

Late-race intensity between the sister cars added another layer of intrigue, with both drivers trading the lead in the closing stages and offering differing views on how team strategy played out. Still, Team Penske leadership stressed the broader objective had been achieved.

“We had to make some difficult decisions today, but we made the right decisions to make sure we finished one-two,” Team Penske President Jonathan Diuguid said. “That was the goal — to make sure a Porsche finished first.”

Runner-up Estre and co-drivers Laurens Vanthoor and Matt Campbell acknowledged the sting of defeat while emphasizing the realities of competing within one of endurance racing’s most disciplined organizations.

“We were fighting the whole race being 1-2,” Estre said. “When teammates are fighting and we have the same car, it’s always difficult. We also have to think about Porsche and Penske and respect what they have to say.”

Behind the dominant duo, the battle for the final podium position proved equally dramatic. Several GTP entries ran three-wide in the closing stages before the No. 10 Cadillac Wayne Taylor Racing entry appeared to secure third. A post-race technical infraction, however, relegated the car to the back of the class, promoting the polesitting No. 31 Cadillac Whelen machine of Jack Aitken, Earl Bamber and Frederik Vesti to the podium.

Tight competition across the 11-car GTP field defined the race from start to finish — a bruising reminder that even overwhelming pace must still survive Sebring’s concrete punishment.

LMP2: United Autosports USA Secures its First IMSA 1-2 Finish

United Autosports USA mirrored Porsche Penske’s prototype sweep in the Le Mans Prototype 2 category, securing its first IMSA one-two finish.

The No. 2 ORECA LMP2 07 driven by Mikkel Jensen held off teammate Paul Di Resta in the No. 22 entry by just 0.510 seconds to claim class honors. The victory marked the first Sebring win for the No. 2 lineup of Jensen, Phil Fayer and Hunter McElrea, and continued a strong run of form for Jensen and McElrea, who have now won three of the last four class races dating back to 2025.

“You come back every year, you want to repeat this thing,” Jensen said. “It’s an amazing race. There’s so much going on out there.”

Traffic management proved decisive, with Jensen noting the constant challenge of navigating through GT competitors on a circuit that continues to evolve year after year. The Tower Motorsports No. 8 entry completed the class podium after running consistently among the leaders.

GTD PRO: Another sweep for Porsche

Porsche’s dominance extended into GTD PRO, where Manthey Racing’s famed bright green and yellow “Grello” Porsche 911 GT3 R delivered a landmark American victory.

Thomas Preining, Klaus Bachler and Ricardo Feller combined to win the class in Manthey’s first full IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup campaign. Preining executed a decisive pass with less than 90 minutes remaining to defeat AO Racing’s dinosaur-themed No. 77 Porsche by 1.43 seconds, while Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports finished third.

“It’s obviously been a Herculean effort to come all the way from Europe,” Preining said. “Big teamwork was necessary today — it was a very difficult race.”

The result added another chapter to the mythology of the Grello machine, long a force in European endurance competition, while giving Bachler a third consecutive Sebring class victory.

GTD: Fuoco Refuses to Give Up En Route to Ferrari Victory

Drama defined the GTD finish, where the No. 21 Af Corse USA Ferrari 296 GT3 EVO overcame three drive-through penalties to steal victory on the final lap.

Antonio Fuoco capitalized on a slight mistake by Tom Gamble in the pole-winning No. 27 Aston Martin roughly a mile from the finish, surging ahead to win by just 0.746 seconds. Fuoco shared the triumph with Lilou Wadoux and Simon Mann, both part of the team’s Michelin Endurance Cup title run last season.

“It was a really chaotic race with some small mistakes,” Fuoco said. “On the last lap the Aston made a small mistake in Turn 10. I saw the opportunity and it worked out.”

The victory marked Fuoco’s second Sebring class win and continued a late-race charge that saw the Ferrari climb from seventh with less than half an hour remaining.

The IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship now shifts west for the season’s first sprint race — the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach, April 17-18 — where the GTP field will again take center stage following Porsche Penske Motorsport’s emphatic statement in Florida.

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