Porsche Penske ready to use team orders again after Sebring fallout

Team Penske boss says the drama will not prevent the team from continuing to issue team orders if needed to ensure a Porsche victory.

Apr. 9, 2026 at 4:33pm

Got story updates? Submit your updates here. ›

A fractured, cubist-style painting depicting the chaotic action of a sports car race, with sharp geometric planes in shades of red, green, and grey representing the vehicles and their movements.Porsche Penske's willingness to employ team orders reflects the cutthroat competition and strategic maneuvering required to succeed in top-level sports car racing.Long Beach Today

Team Penske President Jonathan Diuguid says Porsche Penske Motorsport (PPM) will not shy away from using team orders moving forward, despite the tense drama that unfolded at the end of the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring. Diuguid stated that every manufacturer in the Sebring 12-hour race employed team orders, and that it is part of being successful in the sport. The team held a meeting after the Sebring incident to discuss the missteps and set expectations going forward, with the common goal of having a PPM car finish first.

Why it matters

Team orders are a common practice in motorsports, especially in endurance racing where manufacturers want to ensure their cars finish as high as possible. The Sebring incident highlighted the tensions that can arise when team orders are not followed, but Porsche Penske is making it clear they will continue to use this strategy to maximize their chances of winning.

The details

At the Sebring 12-hour race, PPM dominated with a 1-2 result, but the post-race press conference featured harsh words from Kevin Estre, who called out teammate and race winner Felipe Nasr for not respecting team orders when Estre was out front with roughly an hour to go. Diuguid stated that the team held a meeting after the incident to discuss the missteps and set expectations going forward, with the common goal of having a PPM car finish first.

  • The Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring took place last month.
  • Porsche held a media call on Thursday, April 9, 2026 to discuss the team orders situation.

The players

Jonathan Diuguid

Team Penske President, who oversees strategy on the #6 Porsche driven by Kevin Estre and Laurens Vanthoor.

Kevin Estre

Full-time co-driver of the #6 Porsche 963 for Porsche Penske Motorsport.

Felipe Nasr

Full-time co-driver of the #7 Porsche 963 for Porsche Penske Motorsport, and the race winner at the Sebring 12-hour event.

Julien Andlauer

Full-time co-driver with Felipe Nasr on the #7 Porsche 963 for Porsche Penske Motorsport.

Porsche Penske Motorsport (PPM)

The joint racing effort between Porsche and Team Penske, competing in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.

Got photos? Submit your photos here. ›

What they’re saying

“Yeah, absolutely. I think every single manufacturer in the Sebring 12-hour has employed team orders. You know, Cadillac swapped positions between the #10 and #31 at the end of the race. (The) BMWs switched positions on track and in pit lane. Acura switched positions on track and pit, so it's part of the sport and it's part of being successful with the pit lane structures that we race in and everything like that. So, absolutely, because in the end our goal is to make sure our Porsche ends up first and we're going to do whatever it takes to do that.”

— Jonathan Diuguid, Team Penske President

“Yeah, and that's the thing, we all pretty much talked about it and we exposed our point of view and we just came down to the basics, which are respect of each other of everything that what is internal should remain internal. Some people did mistakes, I'm not gonna talk about driver's management or this or that, but then we just all talked about it so it doesn't happen again.”

— Julien Andlauer, Full-time co-driver with Felipe Nasr on the #7 Porsche 963

What’s next

Porsche Penske Motorsport will look to employ team orders again at the upcoming Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach race on April 19, 2026.

The takeaway

Team orders are a common and accepted practice in top-level motorsports, and Porsche Penske Motorsport is making it clear they will continue to use this strategy to maximize their chances of winning, even if it leads to some internal tensions between drivers.