Porsche Junior Theo Oeverhaus has won the season opener of the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup in Imola. After a thrilling race at the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari, where the first Supercup race in history took place in 1993, the young German won ahead of Israel's Ariel Levi and Dutchman Kas Haverkort. Nine cars fell victim to a mass collision after the start, including the 911 GT3 Cup of the second Porsche Junior Alessandro Ghiretti.

Theo Oeverhaus has finished his debut as a Porsche Junior in the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup as the winner. The only racing driver to have achieved this feat before was Earl Bamber in Barcelona in 2014. At the 2025 season opener in Imola, the 20-year-old from Osnabrück from the Proton Huber Competition team took a commanding lights-to-flag victory from pole position. It was the first race success by a German driver in the Supercup since Laurin Heinrich's triumph at Silverstone in 2022.

After crossing the finish line, Oeverhaus beamed all over his face: "I couldn't have wished for a better start to the season. I got off to a good start and was able to keep the pursuers behind me. I knew that if I didn't make a mistake, it would be difficult to overtake me on this track. After my pretty mixed last year, it's like a dream to win my first Supercup race as a Porsche Junior here."

Throughout the race, Ariel Levi was breathing down the Porsche Junior's neck on the 4.909-kilometre Grand Prix circuit. However, the rider from the GP Elite team could not find a way past Oeverhaus. Nevertheless, he was happy about the first Supercup podium finish by an Israeli racing driver: "That was certainly the best top-3 result of my career. I went all out for the entire distance because I really wanted the first victory in the Supercup for a driver from my country. But because Theo didn't make any mistakes, I have to postpone it to another time."

Third place went to Levi's teammate Kas Haverkort from the Netherlands: "I had a good speed, but not enough to get past Ariel. But it was important to score points right at the season opener and build up confidence for the upcoming races."

In fifth place behind the South African Keagan Masters (Ombra Racing), Flynt Schuring won the rookie classification. "The race went great," said the Dutchman from the Schumacher CLRT team. I got past Marvin Klein at the start and got through the chaos after the start well. As a result, the front splitter on my car broke, which didn't make my life any easier. Although I lost a position to Keagan as a result, I'm happy to be the best rookie."

Second place in the Supercup rookie classification went to Janne Stiak from Team Target. The German finished ninth overall. The youngest rider in the field at 18 years old had been in fourth place in the meantime, but lost a few positions due to a ride into the gravel trap. The third-best rookie was the Italian Pietro Delli Guanti (Dinamic Motorsport).

Red flag already in the first lap

The race, originally scheduled for 15 laps, started with a bang. Contact between Alexander Tauscher (DEU/Target) and Marvin Klein (FRA/BWT Lechner Racing) in the Tamburello chicane triggered a chain reaction. Seven other race cars fell victim to it, including the 911 GT3 Cup of the second Porsche Junior Alessandro Ghiretti from France. The race had to be interrupted for about 20 minutes to recover the damaged vehicles. This shortened the race distance to 12 laps.

Team boss Robert Lechner lost not only Klein's nine-eleven but also Robert de Haan's Porsche as a result of the accident. Nevertheless, the Austrian took the incident sportingly: "Imola is a classic racetrack with gravel traps and a combination of corners after the start. There, you have to put yourself in a starting position in qualifying where you have your fate in your own hands. We didn't manage that optimally with grid positions four and seven. It's a shame that our two cars were hit right away – especially since the time until the next race in Monaco is short."

Oliver Schwab, Project Manager Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup, commented on the events with mixed feelings: "First of all, I would like to congratulate our Porsche Junior Theo Oeverhaus, who put in an impeccable weekend here in Imola and absolutely deserved to win. I'm also happy about Ariel Levi's first podium finish in the Supercup and Kas Haverkort's strong performance again. With fifth place, Flynt Schuring scored a great victory in the rookie classification. Of course, no one can be happy if nine cars retire right after the start. But such incidents can happen in racing."

Three races in three consecutive weeks

The Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup continues at a rapid pace: the second race of the year will take place next weekend as part of the Monaco Grand Prix. On the 3.337-kilometre street circuit in the Principality on the Côte d'Azur, the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, which has around 375 kW (510 hp), will contest a sprint race over 17 laps on Sunday before the Formula 1 GP from 12 noon. Just one week later, the Supercup entourage travels to Spain, where the third round of the season is on the agenda at the Circuit Catalunya near Barcelona.

Result race Imola

1. Porsche Junior Theo Oeverhaus (DEU/Proton Huber Competition)
12 laps in 21m 52.936 min (= 160.930 km/h)
2nd Ariel Levi (ISR/Team GP Elite), 2.324 seconds to the final speed.
3. Kas Haverkort (NLD/Team GP Elite), 3.227 seconds
4. Keagan Masters (ZAF/Ombra Racing), 5.094 seconds to
5. Flynt Schuring (NLD/Schumacher CLRT), 6.451 seconds
6. Huub van Eijndhoven (NLD/Team GP Elite), 6.793 seconds to

Points standings after 1 of 8 races

1. Porsche Junior Theo Oeverhaus (DEU/Proton Huber Competition), 25 points
2. Ariel Levi (ISR/Team GP Elite), 20 points
3. Kas Haverkort (NLD/Team GP Elite), 17 points

All results and tables on the Porsche Motorsport Hub.