- Charlie Thornton
- Mar 22, 2025
- 7 min read
Updated: May 23, 2025
IMSA - Porsche Penske triumphs at the Sebring 12 Hours, while Tandy completes the endurance racing "triple crown"!
The 2025 Mobil 1 Sebring 12 Hours delivered intense racing, thrilling battles, and historic victories on the legendary Florida circuit. With top manufacturers and star drivers pushing the limits, the gruelling endurance classic once again proved why Sebring remains a cornerstone of sports car racing.
QUALIFYING
GTD Qualifying
Controversy struck early for multiple GTD teams, with penalties affecting key competitors. The #45 Wayne Taylor Racing Lamborghini Huracan GT3 Evo2 received a five-minute hold for failing to submit data sticks to IMSA for BoP purposes - a significant setback in the short fifteen-minute session. Additionally, the #19 van der Steur Aston Martin, #34 Conquest Racing Ferrari, #45 Wayne Taylor Racing Lamborghini and #70 Inception Racing Ferrari all lost their fastest lap times due to red flag incidents during practice, further complicating their qualifying efforts.
As the session concluded, Alessandro Pier Guidi in the #21 AF Corse Ferrari 296 GT3 topped the timing sheets with a 1:59.131, three-tenths ahead of Kenton Koch in the #32 Korthoff Competition Motors Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo. Jack Hawksworth in the #12 Vasser Sullivan Racing Lexus RC F GT3 secured third.
GTD Pro Qualifying
GTD Pro qualifying was relatively uneventful. Albert Costa in the #81 DragonSpeed Ferrari 296 GT3 set the early benchmark with a 1:59.225. Laurin Heinrich in the #77 AO Racing “Rexy” Porsche 992 GT3 R followed closely, just two-tenths behind. Neil Verhagen in the #1 Paul Miller Racing BMW M4 GT3 Evo secured third, four-tenths off pole.
LMP2 Qualifying
The LMP2 session saw early incidents, including the #04 CrowdStrike Racing by APR Oreca 07 spinning onto the Ulmann Straight before quickly recovering. Shortly after, the #43 Inter Europol Competition entry spun at the Le Mans Curve, narrowly avoiding contact with another car. In the end, Steven Thomas in the #11 TDS Racing Oreca 07 secured pole with a 1:51.804, followed by P.J. Hyett in the #99 AO Racing "Spike" entry. Nick Boulle in the #2 United Autosports USA entry rounded out the top three.
GTP Qualifying
Drama unfolded in the GTP session when Jack Aitken in the #31 Cadillac Whelen stopped at the pit exit. Despite his efforts to power-cycle the car, it remained stuck in electric mode, bringing out a red flag. The session was extended slightly, but several teams struggled to bring their tires up to temperature in time for a proper hot lap.
As the session concluded, Dries Vanthoor in the #24 BMW M Team RLL secured pole by just two-hundredths over Tom Blomqvist in the #60 Meyer Shank Racing Acura ARX-06. Felipe Nasr, in the #7 Porsche Penske Motorsport Porsche 963, finished four-tenths back in third.
RACE
The 73rd running of the 12 Hours of Sebring got underway with a relatively calm start, though drama unfolded almost immediately. The Rolex 24-winning #13 AWA Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R spun on the first lap after contact with the #70 Inception Racing Ferrari 296 GT3, which had started near the back of the GTD field. Meanwhile, in the GTP category, Felipe Nasr in the #7 Porsche Penske Motorsport entry overtook Tom Blomqvist’s #60 Acura for second place. However, only minutes into the race, the #18 Era Motorsport and #88 AF Corse LMP2 entries found themselves in the wall, triggering the first of many full-course yellows.
As the race progressed, penalties were issued frequently. The #24 BMW, driven by Dries Vanthoor, received a drive-through penalty for a lane change violation at the start of the race, while the #9 Pfaff Motorsports Lamborghini was handed a mechanical black flag due to a faulty sensor. The #88 AF Corse LMP2 also received a stop-and-go penalty for improper emergency service under yellow. More chaos ensued when the pole-sitting #21 AF Corse Ferrari 296 GT3 in GTD went off at the hairpin, and a collision occurred between the #20 Proton Competition Porsche 992 GT3 R and the #32 Korthoff Competition Motors Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo. Spinouts became a recurring theme in the early hours. The #73 Pratt Miller Motorsport LMP2 lost control at the hairpin and was subsequently hit by the #66 Gradient Racing Ford Mustang GT3. Moments later, the #74 Riley LMP2 spun on the Ulmann Straight. The Gradient Racing Mustang was given a drive-through penalty for causing the #73 LMP2’s spin.
A defining moment came when the #023 Triarsi Competizione Ferrari 296 GT3 suffered a heavy crash into the concrete barriers at the Tower Turn after what appeared to be light contact with the #10 Wayne Taylor Racing Cadillac. The incident led to another full-course yellow. The leading Porsches and Acuras opted not to pit, while others took advantage of the caution. The #10 Cadillac replaced its nose due to damage, and the #63 Automobili Lamborghini Squadra Corse Lamborghini SC63 failed to get going under green, plummeting from first to last in mere seconds. A major penalty was later issued to the #10 Cadillac for its involvement in the incident with the #023. Meanwhile, the #14 Vasser Sullivan Racing Lexus RC F GT3 received a drive-through penalty for an unattended tyre in the pit lane.
With two hours completed, the carnage continued. The #99 AO Racing and #52 PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports LMP2 entries collided at turn one, while the #88 AF Corse and #74 Riley LMP2s took each other out at turn two, bringing out yet another full-course yellow. Other notable issues included the #45 Wayne Taylor Racing Lamborghini spinning at turn one, the #47 Cetilar Racing Ferrari grinding to a halt on the Ulmann Straight, and the #19 van der Steur Racing Aston Martin receiving multiple warnings before ultimately getting a drive-through penalty for powertrain issues. Further penalties were handed out to the #88 AF Corse and #99 AO Racing LMP2s for their respective collisions.
With over four hours remaining, the #04 CrowdStrike Racing by APR LMP2 was handed a drive-through penalty for breaching tire operational requirements while leading by approximately seventy seconds. During the next full-course yellow, chaos struck the #24 BMW GTP after contact with the #60 Acura, leaving the latter with heavy damage and stranded in the pit lane. The Acura was later penalized for a pit lane violation. Meanwhile, the #021 Triarsi Competizione Ferrari and #83 Iron Dames Porsche made contact but continued without major consequences.
Heading into the final two hours, multiple drive-through penalties were issued for various infractions, including incident responsibility, controlled powertrain parameter violations, working on a car in an unauthorized area, and running over pit equipment. With less than ninety minutes to go, the #021 Triarsi Competizione Ferrari experienced intermittent issues, stopping and starting multiple times over the next few laps.
As the race clock ticked down to under an hour, both Penske Porsches pitted from first and second place for their final stops. With thirty minutes remaining, just after the race resumed from another full-course yellow, Paul Di Resta in the #22 United Autosports USA LMP2 suffered a significant crash at turn one following side-by-side contact with the #11 TDS Racing LMP2. Despite losing its rear wing, the #22 limped back to the pits, and the race remained green.
In the closing moments, the GTD lead battle intensified. Philip Ellis in the #57 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo made contact with Jack Hawksworth’s #12 Vasser Sullivan Racing Lexus RC F GT3 while taking the class lead. Minutes later, the #04 CrowdStrike Racing by APR LMP2 collided with the #13 AWA Corvette at Sunset Bend while leading its class. The #04 was promptly handed a drive-through penalty for causing the incident.
The final lap saw Felipe Nasr in the #7 Porsche Penske Motorsport Porsche 963 leading by three seconds over teammate Mathieu Jaminet in the #6 machine, securing Porsche’s first Sebring victory since 2008. The #93 Meyer Shank Racing Acura completed the GTP podium, while the only GTP retirement was the Lamborghini SC63. The Aston Martin Valkyrie from Heart of Racing finished ninth in class on its North American debut.
After the controversial late-race incident involving the #04 CrowdStrike entry, the #43 Inter Europol Competition LMP2 seized the lead and won by 1.1 seconds over the #8 Tower Motorsports and #11 TDS Racing entries. The LMP2 class saw three retirements: the #88 AF Corse, #73 Pratt Miller Motorsport, and #18 Era Motorsport cars.
In GTD Pro, "Rexy", the #77 AO Racing Porsche 992 GT3 R clinched victory over the #48 and #1 Paul Miller Racing BMW M4 GT3 Evos by just over four seconds. The only GTD Pro retirement was the #14 Vasser Sullivan Racing Lexus.
Winward Racing secured back-to-back 12 Hours of Sebring victories in GTD, with the #12 Vasser Sullivan Racing Lexus finishing second and the #27 Heart of Racing Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo claiming third, its second third-place finish of the season. The GTD class saw six retirements, including both Triarsi Competizione Ferraris, the pole-sitting #21 AF Corse Ferrari, the #19 van der Steur Racing Aston Martin, the #32 Korthoff Competition Mercedes, and the #47 Cetilar Racing Ferrari, which had finished second in the previous year’s race.
PODIUMS IN EACH CLASS
GTP: #7 - Porsche Penske Motorsport, Porsche 963 - Felipe Nasr, Nick Tandy & Laurens Vanthoor
LMP2: #43 - Inter Europol Competition, Oreca 07 - Jeremy Clarke, Tom Dillmann, Bijoy Garg
GTD Pro: #77 - AO Racing, Porsche 992 GT3 R - Klaus Bachler, Laurin Heinrich, Alessio Picariello
GTD: #57 - Winward Racing, Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo - Indy Dontje, Philip Ellis, Russell Ward
ONTO THE STREETS OF LONG BEACH
The IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship returns in April with a GTP and GTD-only race at the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach.
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