12 Hours of Sebring Last Report: Porsche Penske Motorsport fend off late chaos to complete 1-2

There was chaos, cautions, crew radio drama and late restarts, however Felipe Nasr held agency and guided Porsche Penske Motorsport to victory within the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring.

A restart with lower than 18 minutes to go noticed the Brazilian fend off teammate Kevin Estre to take a 1.515s margin of victory on the three.74-mile, 17-turn airfield circuit. 

Ricky Taylor completed third to place Cadillac Wayne Taylor Racing on the ultimate step of the general podium. Pole-sitter Jack Aitken took fourth behind the wheel of his #31 Whelen Cadillac, forward of the #60 Acura Meyer Shank Racing machine of Tom Blomqvist in fifth.

The most important drama late was in GTD, with Antonio Fuoco overcoming a number of penalties to tug off a last-lap go on Tom Gamble and giving AF Corse USA the victory. 

After Hour 8…
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Laurin Heinrich held agency on the restart over Porsche teammate Laurens Vanthoor, however it was Whelen Cadillac’s Earl Bamber in third making an attempt to use the strain.

An incident in GTD noticed chief Antonio Fuoco (AF Corse USA) penalized with a drive-thru for an incident with the GTD Professional competitor Ben Barker (Ford Racing) with roughly 3h30m left, handing the GTD result in Riccardo Pera within the #912 Porsche 911 GT3 R (992) for Manthey 1st Phorm. Fuoco dropped to tenth at school, however was hit quarter-hour later with one other drive-thru penalty for having too many crew members over the wall throughout his cease.

The Porsche Penske Motorsport duo had been the final in a pit cycle to go to pit lane, doing so with 3h02m left, with Heinrich leaping out of the #7 Porsche 963 and Julien Andlauer sliding in; Matt Campbell changed Vanthoor within the #6 sister automotive. 

Colin Braun, within the #60 Acura ARX-06 for Acura Meyer Shank Racing, vaulted to 3rd as a byproduct of a short-fill of vitality, with the #10 Whelen Cadillac of Filipe Albuquerque in fourth on an identical technique. The 2 pitted with 2h33m remaining, which elevated Dries Vanthoor’s #24 BMW M Hybrid V8 (BMW M Crew WRT) to 3rd briefly earlier than pitting two minutes later. 

The run of off-strategy stops by the three GTP entries allowed four-time IndyCar champion Alex Palou to rise to 3rd within the #93 Acura ARX-06 for Acura Meyer Shank Racing, on the identical technique – however 18s behind – the 2 Penske Porsches.

The battle for third in GTD Professional took one other flip as Nico Varrone (Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports) hit the #1 Paul Miller Racing BMW M4 GT3 EVO of Max Hesse in Flip 16 with 2h6m left. The contact drew a drive-thru penalty for Varrone. 

With two hours to go, GTD Professional had a pair of Porsche 911 GT3 R (992) entries operating 1-2, led by AO Racing’s Alessio Picariello adopted by Klaus Bachler for Manthey. Hesse was third. 

The Penske pair pitted moments later, with Nasr taking on the #7 and Estre within the #6. The race off pit street noticed Estre get the sting and take the general race lead. The 2 had been thrust right into a tense second as Estre went off making an attempt to keep up the lead, with Nasr urgent behind.  It solely took a minute later for Estre to construct a spot of 1.5s over Nasr as the 2 went right into a conservative technique in hopes of constructing only one extra cease. 

Jonny Edgar (AO Racing) led LMP2 with just below two hours to play, with Hunter McElrea (United Autosports USA) in second at 3.4s again. Lorenzo Patrese (Conquest Racing) held a 13s lead in GTD over Lone Star Racing’s Lin Hodenius. 

Harry Tincknell (Bryan Herta Autosport with PR1/Mathiesen) simply got here out of the pits when the right-rear wheel of his LMP2 machine got here off and introduced out a full course warning with 1h49m left. The warning negated the huge lead Penske Porsche Motorsport held over the competitors, with the #24 BMW of van der Linde in third. 

Pit stops noticed a cut up technique between the Penske Porsches, with Nasr solely replenishing and taking the lead, whereas Estre took on a recent set of tires. 

The operating order for GTP after the pit stops had been Nasr in first, adopted by Estre, Jack Aitken (Whelen Cadillac), Nick Yelloly (Acura Meyer Shank Racing), Sheldon van der Linde (BMW M Crew WRT) rounding out the remainder of the highest 5. 

#93 Acura Meyer Shank Racing w/Curb Agajanian Acura ARX-06: Renger van der Zande, Nick Yelloly, Alex Palou

Photograph by: IMSA

The restart with 1h31m to go noticed Jack Aitken strain Estre for second as Nasr made a clear getaway. Moments later, Yelloly ended up getting penalized for operating over pit gear throughout his pit cease, whereas Tom Blomqvist within the sister #60 Acura ARX-06 additionally hit for not being centered throughout his pit cease. Each had been handed drive-thru penalties. 

A colossal wreck occurred with 1h29s left as Jenson Altzman (Myers Riley Motorsports) appeared to hit a bump incorrect, which despatched his #16 Ford Mustang GT3 throughout the monitor and exhausting into the Flip 1 tire barrier, bringing out one other full course warning. 

The short cleanup allowed for a restart with 1h19m to go as Estre turned up the warmth on Nasr however didn’t get by. Shortly after, Race Management gave Estre a warning for blocking Aitken on the earlier restart.

A 0.6s hole developed between Nasr and Estre, with Aitken fading to 3s again with 1h15m later. In the meantime, the 2 Acuras served their respective drive-thru penalties.  

And crew orders noticed Estre go by Nasr simply three minutes later. Nevertheless, the 2 began to navigate visitors, which allowed Nasr respiratory down the neck of Estre for the lead. The battle allowed Aitken to shut, however not earlier than Nasr made a late diving transfer into Flip 17 to make an inside go on his teammate with 1h04m to go. 

Estre tried to get round visitors however then went off track briefly earlier than gathering it again up and holding second, however 0.7s behind Nasr. Aitken began to use the strain on Estre as they inched nearer to the ultimate hour. Nevertheless, the off-course incident by Estre drew the ire of Race Management, who deemed it a bonus and penalized him by dropping behind Aitken. 

Aitken acquired round AO Racing’s Harry King (GTD Professional), however it introduced Estre again to him as the 2 battled as soon as extra, with BMW’s van der Linde becoming a member of the fray and almost taking it three-wide. Estre was capable of safe the spot forward of Aitken, although, however they misplaced vital floor to Nasr, who constructed a 4.9s lead.

Aitken made his ultimate pit cease with 52m left, which included recent tires and vitality replenishment. Estre was introduced within the following lap, choosing recent tires and vitality replenishment. Nasr dove to pit lane with 49m left, additionally taking recent tires and full vitality. 

By the cycle, Nasr maintained his benefit over Estre and Aitken. The hole between Nasr and Estre was 1.2s with 44m left, with Aitken 4.4s again. 

In LMP2, Edgar pitted his #99 AO Racing ORECA machine, which featured a fast entrance clip change whereas taking gas and a driver change with Mikkel Jensen taking on. Moments later the #21 of Fuoco, operating second in GTD, obtained a drive-thru penalty after colliding with the #033 Ferrari of Miguel Molina from the GTD Professional class. 

A warning waved with 33m remaining after the #912 Manthey 1st Phorm of Riccardo Pera was briefly stopped simply off monitor in Flip 8. He acquired it going once more with out help.

The warning helped Gradient Racing’s Joey Hand, who led GTD however making an attempt to increase his gas run to the end.

Last sprint to the end

#7 Porsche Penske Motorsport Porsche 963: Felipe Nasr, Julien Andlauer, Laurin Heinrich

Photograph by: Jake Galstad / Lumen by way of Getty Photographs

With 20m left, the highest 5 for GTD was Nasr, Estre, Aitken, and the Cadillac Wayne Taylor Racing duo of Ricky Taylor and Louis Deletraz. 

After an prolonged warning for particles, the race restarted with 16m left and noticed Nasr and Estre pull a spot on Aitken. 

Hand’s hope for a GTD win light as Tom Gamble (Coronary heart of Racing Crew) took the lead after the restart. Regardless of the run of penalties, Fuoco as soon as once more rose to second and 2s behind Gamble. 

Nasr prolonged the hole to three.2s over Estre. The combat for the ultimate step on the rostrum was on as Ricky Taylor acquired by Aitken, with each over 5s again of Nasr with 10m left. 

The closest battle with lower than eight minutes to go was between Gamble and Fuoco, with simply 1.1s separating the 2. Fuoco closed with lower than two minutes to go, however was unable to tug off a transfer because the GTP leaders sliced by and disrupted the battle. On the ultimate lap, although, a bobble by Gamble was all that Fuoco wanted to tear by and take the lead en path to victory by 0.824s. Costa took third.

Thomas Preining (Manthey) delivered a snug drive to the end in his #911 Porsche 911 GT3 R (992), capturing the GTD Professional win over AO Racing’s Harry King. Nick Catsburg (Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports) took third. 

The combat for LMP2 was shut as Mikkel Jensen held off United Autosport USA teammate Paul Di Resta, whereas Tristian Vautier placing Tower on the ultimate spot on the rostrum. 

Nasr skated away for a snug general victory, his third within the 12-hour occasion (2019, 2025).

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