Porsche Dominates Midway Through 2026 Rolex 24 Hours Despite Position Shifts
In the ninth hour of the 2026 Rolex 24 Hours, Porsche maintained its commanding lead, though key position changes emerged amid challenging misty conditions. Julien Andlauer in the #7 Porsche took the lead from Laurens Vanthoor after a strategic pit stop but was unable to hold his advantage due to the race’s fifth caution, necessitating another round of stops.
Post-caution, Vanthoor reassumed the lead, extending his gap to two seconds. The #93 Acura, driven by Alex Palou, is currently in third, five seconds adrift after successfully overtaking Louis Deletraz’s Cadillac at the restart.
Filipe Albuquerque from the #10 Wayne Taylor Cadillac assessed the competitive landscape, stating, “We have good pace… I believe the Porsches are very fast, and the Cadillacs and Acuras are in a narrow window with them too. We need to see when the sun rises and which car is fastest during single-stinting.”
The LMP2 category saw a tumultuous restart, with George Kurtz initially leading for Crowdstrike by APR. A spin at the International Horseshoe dropped him to seventh, allowing Christian Rasmussen of AO Racing to take the lead, followed closely by Bijoy Garg in the #43 Inter Europol entry.
Similarly, GTD Pro standings shifted as Tommy Milner in the #4 Corvette took the lead after a well-timed strategy to remain out during the caution period. Max Hesse in the #1 Paul Miller BMW is in second, followed by the #3 Corvette in third.
In GTD, AF Corse’s #21 Ferrari 296 GT3 Evo, driven by Antonio Fuoco, leads, with Zach Robichon in second in the #27 Heart of Racing Aston Martin. Mattia Drudi reported post-stint, “We need to do a certain number of double stints… the car is working nicely, and the team is working well.”
As the race progresses into the approaching daylight, all eyes will remain on strategy and tire performance as teams position themselves for the critical final hours.
