This Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup season opener had it all: In an action-packed race just ahead of the Formula 1 Gran Premio dell’Emilia Romagna, young German Theo Oeverhaus clinched victory ahead of Israeli Ariel Levi and Dutchman Kas Haverkort. A dramatic mass collision shortly after the start eliminated nine cars, including the 911 GT3 Cup of the second Porsche Junior, Alessandro Ghiretti.
Before Theo Oeverhaus, only Earl Bamber had managed to win on his debut as a Porsche Junior in the Porsche Supercup – back in 2014 at Barcelona. At the 2025 season opener in Imola, the 20-year-old from Germany dominated from pole position to take a commanding lights-to-flag win for the Proton Huber Competition team. It also marked the first Supercup race victory by a German driver since Laurin Heinrich’s triumph at Silverstone in 2022.
Ariel Levi remained a constant threat throughout the race, closely trailing Porsche Junior Oeverhaus on the 4.909-kilometre Grand Prix circuit at Imola. The GP Elite driver, however, was unable to find an opening to overtake the leader. Nevertheless, Levi celebrated a significant milestone as the first Israeli to finish on the Porsche Supercup podium. Third place went to Levi’s GP Elite teammate, Dutch driver Kas Haverkort.
Race red-flagged after the first lap.
The season-opening race began with high drama. Originally scheduled for 15 laps, the race was interrupted by a major incident on the opening lap after a collision between Alexander Tauscher (GER/Team Target) and Marvin Klein (FRA/BWT Lechner Racing) at the Tamburello chicane which triggered a multi-car crash eliminating seven other competitors. Among the retirements was the 911 GT3 Cup of Frenchman Alessandro Ghiretti, the second Porsche Junior on the grid. The race was red-flagged for around 20 minutes to allow recovery of the stricken cars. As a result, the race distance was shortened to 12 laps. BWT Lechner Racing team boss Robert Lechner saw the cars of both Marvin Klein and Robert de Haan taken out in the opening-lap crash. Despite the disappointment, Lechner remained composed: "Imola is an old-school track with gravel traps and a combination of corners after the start. You need strong qualifying positions to control your fate, and we didn’t quite get that with fourth and seventh on the grid.
All four Rookies finish inside the Top Eleven.
In fifth place overall, Flynt Schuring from the Netherlands emerged as the best-placed rookie behind South African Keagan Masters (Ombra Racing). Second place in the Supercup Rookie Classification went to Janne Stiak of Team Target. The German finished ninth overall. At 18, the youngest driver in the field had been running fourth at one point but lost several positions after a trip into the gravel trap. The third-best rookie was the Italian Pietro Delli Guanti (Dinamic Motorsport).
Three races in three weeks.
The Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup continues its high pace with three races in as many weeks. Round two will be held this weekend on the 3.337-kilometre street circuit of Monaco, as part of the Formula 1 Grand Prix support programme. The Porsche 911 GT3 Cup cars will contest a 17-lap sprint race in the Principality on the Côte d'Azur on Sunday at noon. Just one week later, the Supercup field will head to Spain for Round 3 at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.
