Porsche Penske Motorsport scored a sensational 1-2 finish in the IMSA 12 Hours of Sebring, with the #7 car clinching victory ahead of the sister #6 entry for the team’s second consecutive win.
After kicking off the 2026
It was the 20th win for Porsche at the iconic Floridian endurance race, and the manufacturer's 17th 1-2 finish at Sebring.
Once again, it was the #7 trio of
The trio battled back, fighting from the back of the GTP field to lead from around the four-hour mark for much of the race.
Though they lost the lead later on to the sister car, a daring move with an hour left on the clock allowed the team to recapture the lead and score another win to extend their lead in the standings.
Behind, the #6 trio of
The win marked the team’s second consecutive win at Sebring, with Nasr having also been part of last year’s winning effort.
Jonathan Diuguid, Managing Director Porsche Penske Motorsport, said: “Just finished the 12 Hours of Sebring, 1-2 again for the second year in a row. It’s quite an amazing roll the team’s on - we won the 36 Hours of Florida again.
“The cars performed flawlessly today, we had a lot of pace. I think our biggest advantage was how well we kept the tyres under the car over the stints against our competitors.
“I couldn’t be happier to be in Victory Lane again.”
There was also a stunning Porsche 1-2 in the GTD Pro class, with the #911 Manthey entry winning ahead of the #77 AO Racing car.
Another podium came in GTD, with the #120 Wright Motorsports Porsche third-place in class.
Story of the race
The #6 Porsche 963 lined up fourth, with the sister #7 car in sixth place on the grid.
The #7 car suffered contact at Turn 1 on lap two, dropping it back to seventh, while the #6 remained in the fight up ahead.
The #6 car, initially driven by Estre, was up to third by lap eight, making up another spot to run second after a bold move at Turn 1 to pass the #60 Acura.
The first Full Course Yellow came after 40 minutes, with the #6 losing a place upon exit to run third.
The #7 car was forced to stop a second time soon after to inspect damage from the earlier incident and was dropped to 10th.
However, soon after, it was handed a drive-through penalty for contact with the #5 JDC-Miller car at Cunningham.
Heading into the second hour, the #6 made a great pass up the inside of Turn 1 to retake second, and quickly set about chasing the leader.
Estre took the lead up the inside of Sunset, dragging past the #93 car before the straight before quickly building a 2.3s lead.
Both cars stopped around the two hour mark for the first driver change, with Vanthoor into the #6 car and Heinrich in the #7.
The #6 left the pits in third but suffered contact soon after, forcing repairs at the next pitstop, though time was saved due to another FCY and it stayed in third behind the #7 car.
By the end of hour four, the #7 had made it into the lead for the first time thanks to clever strategy, ahead of the sister car in second.
From there, the pair were unstoppable. By lap 149, the #7 led by almost nine seconds from the #6 car, before both stopped again for another driver change.
The #7 car stayed ahead until the 10th hour, when the #6 car jumped the #7 out the pits to snatch the lead.
But the lead swapped again in the pits the following hour, with a difference in strategy meaning the #7 only took fuel while the #6 also took tyres, and the #7 led once more.
A thrilling battle ensued, and while the #6 did lead again soon after, a decisive move with an hour to go down the inside of Turn 17 clinched it for the #7 car.
With Nasr driving the final stint, they went on to finish just 1.5s clear of second-place.
Despite a late challenge for second from the #31 Cadillac and #24 BMW, Estre mounted a heroic defence at the wheel of the #6 car.
Having been forced to drop a place due to a penalty, Estre fought back, making an incredibly bold move at Turn 16 to get back ahead and take the runner-up spot.
GTP Customer Racing
The #5 JDC-Miller MotorSports car, shared by Nico Pino, Tijmen van der Helm and Kaylen Frederick, lined up seventh for Saturday’s race.
Frederick started in the car, and put in a strong first stint to stay in the mix, running as high as fifth in the early stages.
Unfortunate contact from the #6 dar dropped it down the order, but a strong effort from all three drivers saw them secure valuable points with a ninth-place finish.
GTD Pro
Another fantastic result came in the GTD Pro class, with a 1-2 finish for the #911 Manthey entry ahead of the #77 AO Racing car.
The #911 car, driven by Thomas Preining, Klaus Bachler and Ricardo Feller, started third after a strong qualifying.
AO Racing’s Rexy car was eighth, shared by Nick Tandy - who missed all of practice due to illness - Harry King, and Ricardo Feller.
The #911 had a great start and led by the end of the first hour, while the #77 was up to fourth.
They ran in those places into hour four, when the #033 Ferrari made it past the pair to briefly lead the class.
It was shortlived though, and the two Porsche were soon back ahead - though it was the #77 car’s chance to lead next.
The pair traded positions several times across the following hours, with the #911 fending off a challenge from the #1 BMW in hour 10 to hold onto second.
It was a bold move with 90 minutes to go which sealed the win for the #911, taking the lead around the outside of Turn 1 and briefly touching the grass to pass the #77.
GTD
The #120 Wright Motorsports car made it five Porsche podiums for Saturday’s race, finishing third in the GTD class.
Adam Adelson, Tom Sargent and Callum Ilott lined up seventh, and made an early stop and driver change to get some clean air where the car was running better.
This worked in the trio’s favour when others stopped, as their stop was shorted and so they gained places to run in third.
Though they dropped a couple of places, they stayed in the battle up front, and were in the mix in the fifth hour and fighting for the final podium spot.
A drive-through penalty in the penultimate hour dropped them to seventh, but a stellar final stint from Ilott meant the trio stayed out of trouble and secured a third-place finish.
The #28 RS1 entry, shared by Spencer Pumpelly, Jan Heylen and Dillon Machavern, started 13th.
The trio fought hard throughout, but suffered a setback after being handed a stop plus 10-second penalty for improperly serving an emergency service obligation in hour nine.
They went on to finish tenth in class.
After a tough qualifying, the #912 Manthey 1st Phorm car driven by Ryan Hardwick, Riccardo Pera and Morris Schuring lined up 16th.
They got off to a great start, making up four places in the first eight laps to run 12th.
By hour four, they were running in fourth, and had made even more strong progress by the end of hour seven to lead the GTD class.
Sadly for the team, with just over 30 minutes to go, they suffered an issue. Despite stopping briefly on track, they were able to get going again, but it was a terminal problem.
Coming next
The third round of the 2026 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship is the Grand Prix of Long Beach on April 17-18.
This 100-minute dash takes place on a 3.167 km (1.968 mile) street circuit in downtown Long Beach.
The #7 car, shared by Nasr and Nick Tandy, won last year’s event. Can this year’s #7 crew make it three-in-a-row to kick off this season in style?
Full Porsche results at the 2026 12 Hours of Sebring
GTP class (Porsche 963):
P2 #6 Porsche Penske Motorsport: Kévin Estre, Laurens Vanthoor, Matt Campbell P1 #7 Porsche Penske Motorsport: Julien Andlauer, Felipe Nasr, Laurin Heinrich P9 #5 JDC-Miller MotorSports: Nico Pino, Tijmen van der Helm, Kaylen Frederick
GTD Pro class (Porsche 911 GT3 R):
P2 #77 AO Racing: Nick Tandy, Harry King, Alessio Picariello P1 #911 Manthey: Thomas Preining, Klaus Bachler, Ricardo Feller
GTD class (Porsche 911 GT3 R):
P10 #28 RS1: Spencer Pumpelly, Jan Heylen, Dillon Machavern P3 #120 Wright Motorsports: Adam Adelson, Tom Sargent, Callum Ilott DNF #912 Manthey 1st Phorm: Ryan Hardwick, Riccardo Pera, Morris Schuring
