Porsche celebrates its third consecutive overall victory at the 24 Hours of Daytona. The sports car manufacturer thus extends its record tally to 21 triumphs. A total of 25 times the winning car was powered by a Porsche engine. At the season opener of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship in Florida, the Porsche 963 fielded by Porsche Penske Motorsport with works drivers Felipe Nasr from Brazil, Julien Andlauer from France and Laurin Heinrich from Germany wins. The sister car finishes the 64th running of the endurance classic in fourth place.

Porsche could hardly wish for a better start to the season in the North American IMSA series: the works team's two hybrid prototypes dominated the 24 Hours of Daytona for long stretches and set the pace at the front almost at all times. In a thrilling finale, car number 7 finally got the upper hand – in front of a record crowd.

"Winning Daytona three times in a row – that's something everyone dreams of," says Thomas Laudenbach, Vice President Porsche Motorsport. The race was highly exciting. This competition and enthusiasm drive us at Porsche on the world's race tracks. A huge thank you goes to the entire team, to all the employees at the racetrack and to the many top people in Weissach and at the Penske site in Mooresville. No one can take this great triumph away from us. He's the early icing on our 75th anniversary in motorsport and Team Penske's 60th anniversary. Our hat-trick will go down in the history books."

Porsche and the Porsche Penske Motorsport works team are the first in the age of the new GTP cars to triumph at Daytona three times in a row. Works driver Nasr is only the third driver to achieve such a winning streak in the more than 60-year history of the endurance classic. His teammates, the two former Porsche Juniors Andlauer and Heinrich, each celebrate their first overall success in Florida.

"The victory at Daytona is perfect to kick off Team Penske's 60th anniversary celebrations," said Roger Penske, founder and chairman of Penske Corporation. I would also like to congratulate Porsche on the great start to the year of '75 Years of Motorsport'. Together we will continue our success story. Today's triumph reflects the determination and dedication of all the men and women who work for Porsche Penske Motorsport in Mooresville and in Germany."

"Three wins in a row for Felipe and for our team – the 24 Hours of Daytona is a dream event for us," concludes Jonathan Diuguid. The Executive Director Porsche Penske Motorsport adds: "It was so exciting in the end. Once again, Felipe has shown that he is worth his weight in gold in such moments. His new colleagues Julien Andlauer and Laurin Heinrich have also impressed. No driving mistakes, no mishaps in the team, no penalties – that's how a great team comes to Victory Lane at Daytona."

"The race wasn't as easy for us as it might have seemed at times," explains Urs Kuratle, Vice President Factory Motorsport LMDh. "We worked hard for it and had to give it our all in the thrilling finale. During the six-and-a-half-hour yellow phase due to fog at night, some fans may have been bored. But with our fight at the end, we certainly more than compensated each and every one of them. Thank you to everyone in the team, our great partners and our supporters."

Strong customer teams miss out on top results

In the top GTP class, the JDC-Miller MotorSports customer team delivered a strong performance. The US team even drove the Porsche 963 at the front at times, but fell back to seventh place in the final phase. Manthey and AO Racing finished the 24-hour race in fifth and ninth place in the GTD-Pro class with their two 911 GT3 R. In the GTD category, Manthey, 1st Phorm and Muehlner Motorsports crossed the finish line in twelfth and 15th place.

Drivers' comments on the 2026 24 Hours of Daytona

Felipe Nasr (Porsche 963 #7): "I don't have the words to describe what this success triggers in me. In the last laps I got absolutely everything out of my body and especially out of my heart – it was so important to me to bring this triumph home for my colleagues and our team! As in previous years, the fight only ended in the final minutes. The first emotions came during the last lap, there was no stopping the finish line. I want to celebrate this best phase of my career with everyone."

Julien Andlauer (Porsche 963 #7): "From the start of the tests eleven days ago to the finish at the end of the race, we gave everything at all times, worked extremely hard and were always fully focused. Now we stand there as winners of the 24 Hours of Daytona with a beautiful trophy. I'm just proud of all of us."

Laurin Heinrich (Porsche 963 #7): "It's unbelievable – I'm driving my first race for Porsche Penske Motorsport in the IMSA series and immediately winning the 24 Hours of Daytona! In 2022, I joined the Porsche family as a junior. Now, as a works driver, I'm at the top of the podium at the biggest endurance race in North America. It's a huge honor. I'm so grateful to Porsche for the trust they have placed in me and for the development I've been able to experience."

Kévin Estre (Porsche 963 #6): "First of all, it's great for the team to have won this race again. Unfortunately, we had contact with another car at the beginning. The team was unable to fully repair the damage. So we will never know how well our 963 would have performed without this incident. We were always at a slight disadvantage compared to our sister car – competitive, but not as much as the number 7 Porsche."

yhancan Güven (Porsche 911 GT3 R #911): "We were consistent and flawless – just as everyone expected from our top team Manthey. With an extremely strong performance, we consistently worked our way up the field after a disappointing qualifying. In the last quarter of the race, we were among the frontrunners, but unfortunately we lacked a bit of pace in the final battle for the class win. It's a shame, but still an impressive performance from us."