Porsche Penske Runs 1-2 at Halfway Mark of 12 Hours of Sebring

Felip Nasr in the No. 7 leads Kevin Estre in the Porsche 1-2 after battling through the field.

Mar. 22, 2026 at 12:28am

The No. 7 Porsche Penske 963 survived early contact with the Renger Van Der Zande in the No. 93 Acura on its march from the back of the class to the overall lead through the first half of the 12 Hours of Sebring. The No. 31 Cadillac V-Series. R led the opening two hours before Kevin Estre in the No. 6 Porsche was able to overtake it, with the No. 7 Porsche then pulling away from the field.

Why it matters

The 12 Hours of Sebring is one of the most prestigious endurance races in North America, and the battle between the top Porsche and Cadillac teams is a key storyline in the IMSA GTP class this season. The race is a crucial early test of the new Porsche and Cadillac prototypes as they compete for overall victory.

The details

The No. 7 Porsche, driven by Felip Nasr, was able to pull away from its partner entry, the No. 6 Porsche driven by Kevin Estre, and the rest of the field when the No. 6 Porsche collided with the No. 31 Action Express Racing Cadillac V-Series. R under the second caution of the race. The contact came just moments after both cars pitted for a driver change under the caution, but there was no further investigation into the incident.

  • The No. 31 Cadillac V-Series. R led the opening two hours of the race.
  • Kevin Estre in the No. 6 Porsche was able to overtake the No. 31 Cadillac at the start of the race.
  • The contact between the No. 6 Porsche and the No. 31 Cadillac occurred under the second caution of the race, just moments after both cars had pitted for a driver change.

The players

Felip Nasr

The driver of the No. 7 Porsche Penske 963 that is leading the race at the halfway point.

Kevin Estre

The driver of the No. 6 Porsche Penske 963 that is running second at the halfway point.

Renger Van Der Zande

The driver of the No. 93 Acura that had early contact with the No. 7 Porsche.

Chris Mitchum

The Director of Race Team Relations for Whelen Cadillac, who commented on the contact between the No. 6 Porsche and the No. 31 Cadillac.

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What they’re saying

“This is IMSA racing, so imagine that... a Cadillac and a Porsche fighting for a win early in the race. Clearly not intentional, we don't think that. It took a little bit to figure out how to recover from that. That's just bodywork; the bigger issue is making sure the car is still mechanically solid. I don't know if that knife blade is as sharp as it was in the beginning, but that's the beauty of GTP: there are enough adjustments and things you can do. We can get it back there.”

— Chris Mitchum, Director of Race Team Relations, Whelen Cadillac

The takeaway

The battle between the top Porsche and Cadillac teams at the 12 Hours of Sebring is shaping up to be a key early-season storyline in the IMSA GTP class, as the new prototype cars from the two manufacturers compete for overall victory in one of the most prestigious endurance races in North America.