The previous racing adage says your teammate is your first rival, however Felipe Nasr is taking that paradox to a complete new stage this weekend at Watkins Glen Worldwide.
Because the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship heads to the historic 3.4-mile, 11-turn pure terrain highway course for the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen, the Brazilian finds himself searching down a main title contender who additionally occurs to share his very same cockpit for choose endurance rounds in breakout star Laurin Heinrich.
When requested how he approaches the distinctive dynamic of racing in opposition to a driver who he additionally shares a seat with, Nasr did not hesitate.
“Pay attention, I race anybody as exhausting as I can and I need to compete in opposition to the most effective,” Nasr instructed Motorsport.com.
An unprecedented title combat
#6 Porsche Penske Motorsport Porsche 963: Laurens Vanthoor, Kevin Estre, Felipe Nasr
Picture by: Jake Galstad / Lumen by way of Getty Photos
Heinrich has set the sports activities automotive world ablaze this season. Whereas he serves because the third driver alongside Nasr and full-season co-driver Julien Andlauer within the #7 Porsche Penske Motorsports Porsche 963 for choose long-distance rounds, his main marketing campaign in IMSA is being contested with the privateer squad JDC-Miller MotorSports.
Because of an unbelievable upset victory with the shopper crew earlier this season at Laguna Seca, Heinrich has vaulted into sole possession of second place within the driver standings, shaking up the manufacturing facility hierarchy. The performances additionally led to a reshuffling of his schedule, which initially had him lacking a few IMSA rounds on account of conflicts, comparable to this weekend’s Spa 24 Hours. Now, he’s sorted and primed to correctly combat for the IMSA crown.
The championship image
#31 Cadillac Whelen Cadillac V-Sequence.R: Jack Aitken, Earl Bamber, Frederik Vesti
Picture by: Jake Galstad / Lumen by way of Getty Photos
As the sector arrives on the New York circuit, it’s tight the margins on the prime of the GTP class. Jack Aitken, driver of the #31 Cadillac V-Sequence.R Whelen Cadillac, leads the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship with 1760 factors, with Heinrich second (-144), and the mix of Andlauer and Nasr third (-154).
Though the slim 10-point margin has Heinrich forward of his occasional co-drivers within the full season championship, the three are literally main the Endurance Cup collectively after going an ideal 2-for-2 with victories on the Rolex 24 At Daytona and the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring.
Nonetheless, that shared concord pauses this weekend as Heinrich fits up for the JDC-Miller crew, instantly threatening Nasr’s quest to take care of his stranglehold on the Endurance Cup – a crown Nasr has claimed for the earlier two consecutive seasons.
Excessive reward for the breakout apprentice
#5 JDC-Miller MotorSports Porsche 963: Tijmen van der Helm, Laurin Heinrich, Kaylen Frederick
Picture by: Jake Galstad / Lumen by way of Getty Photos
For all this odd rivalry is, nevertheless, Nasr supplied excessive reward for the younger German and his full-season associate, Andlauer.
“Each Laurin and Julien, man, they’ve been doing an ideal job,” Nasr stated. “They got here by the ranks, Porsche juniors, now manufacturing facility drivers, they usually’ve been delivering. I could not ask for a greater begin of the yr.
“Seeing the success for them as properly, you may see they’re pleased, they’re attaining these objectives they need to obtain as drivers. And yeah, simply being on the proper place on the proper time. I feel Laurin had the possibility to point out what he can do when he was on the proper place on the proper time.”
Nasr additionally is not “shocked” that Heinrich, sometimes contesting with a buyer crew using an older-spec aero package deal, is within the combat for the title.
“No, I am not shocked, as a result of in the event you look again to our ’25 package deal, it is what we gained the championship with,” Nasr stated. “We gained Daytona final yr, we gained Sebring… He does an ideal job as a driver to revenue from these alternatives. When the automotive is true, the time is true, he has to ship. And I feel he is been delivering.”
Praying for rain at Watkins Glen
#7 Porsche Penske Motorsport Porsche 963: Felipe Nasr, Julien Andlauer, Ricky Taylor
Picture by: Brandon Badraoui / Lumen by way of Getty Photos
Whereas the intra-Porsche battle supplies loads of theater, each camps are finally chasing Aitken. To shut the hole, Nasr believes turning the tide this weekend would require an help from the climate.
Having gone 2-for-2 within the endurance races up to now this season, Nasr was requested if he could make it 3-for-3 on the Glen.
“I hope the rain comes this weekend, after which we’ll beat everyone once more,” Nasr stated.
When pressed on whether or not he actually feels the #7 crew wants moist climate to win, Nasr didn’t mince phrases concerning the automotive’s present standing of missing outright tempo in comparison with the Cadillacs.
“Oh, completely we want the rain as a result of I really feel we nonetheless lack pace in comparison with the opposite opponents, particularly the Cadillac,” Nasr stated. “After we are on our greatest day, greatest execution and efficiency smart, we at all times see this delta to them. They’re at all times sooner, higher in qualifying, higher within the race than us.
“I can’t pull any extra gears in my automotive, in order that’s all I’ve. That is the state of affairs we’re in proper now. However I’ve to say, in the case of endurance racing, Porsche Penske has been executing rather well, and I am hoping the identical for this weekend. So, we’ll deliver our greatest sport and attempt to beat everyone else.”
Watch: The Rolex 24 at Daytona: Precision, Perfection, and The Highway To Victory (IMSA Endurance Racing)
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