24h Le Mans
Porsche Penske Motorsport’s Porsche 963 Hypercar has followed up on its 24 Hours of Daytona success in January by winning the 12 Hours of Sebring, the second round of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. With less than three months to the 93rd 24 Hours of Le Mans (11-15 June 2025), this triumph strengthens the German manufacturer’s bid to see off Alpine, Aston Martin, BMW, Cadillac, Ferrari, Peugeot and Toyota – its rivals for overall victory in la Sarthe.
This weekend, the #7 Porsche 963 driven by Felipe Nasr, Nick Tandy and Laurens Vanthoor clinched a sparkling success in Florida. The Porsche Penske Motorsport trio claimed victory after a tough 12-hour fight that was neutralised times as temperatures topped 31°C. This performance confirms the consistency and reliability of the German prototype on the back of its win in the Rolex 24 at Daytona in January.
The race reached a dramatic climax in the final half-hour as Nasr withstood attacks from his main rivals following the final Full Course Yellow. With a perfectly executed strategy and flawless tyre and fuel management, Porsche Penske Motorsport took an overall 1-2 with Matt Campbell, Mathieu Jaminet and Kévin Estre in the #6 sister car finishing just 2.239 seconds behind.
This Sebring victory strengthens Porsche’s position as favourite for the 93rd 24 Hours of Le Mans – the fourth round of the 2025 FIA World Endurance Championship. The manufacturer that holds the record for outright Le Mans wins (19) faces stiff competition, notable from Ferrari, winner in the last two years, as well as Alpine, Aston Martin, BMW, Cadillac, Toyota and Peugeot.
This Sebring success was extra-special for 2015 Le Mans-winner Tandy who joined the elite club of winners of the Triple Crown of Endurance (Daytona, Sebring and Le Mans): “It feels amazing to win two races in a row [...] And to top it off, both Porsche 963 finished both races on the podium. Given the fierce competition, that’s incredible. No mistakes, no penalties, no damage – today was simply a dream in endurance racing.”
For Porsche, this first Sebring win since 2008 illustrates the strength of the manufacturer’s ambitious project. Thomas Laudenbach, Vice President Porsche Motorsport, beamed: “The Porsche 963 has again upheld its reputation as the most successful LMDh car since the regulations were introduced. This is something we can all be very proud of.” Urs Kuratle, Director Factory Motorsport LMDh, was equally enthusiastic: "Victory at Daytona, and now Sebring: We’ve won the 36 Hours of Florida! That was one of our most outstanding races, absolutely flawless. I’m ecstatic. All the drivers and the entire team put in an incredibly strong effort: pit stops, strategy, car – everything went perfectly.”
Porsche Penske Motorsport’s back-to-back wins in the two Florida classics underlines the consistency and performance of the Porsche 963 in the IMSA championship. In the run-up to the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the team is a serious candidate for a return to the top step of the podium. Porsche’s last outright Le Mans victory dates back to 2017 when Timo Bernhard, Earl Bamber and Brendon Hartley took the honours in the 919 Hybrid.
We look forward to June to see if the German powerhouse can overcome the biggest carmakers on the planet and add a 20th win to its Le Mans track record.
