Porsche Penske Motorsport Unveils 2026 IMSA Driver Line-up
Porsche Penske Motorsport has officially announced its driver roster for the 2026 IMSA SportsCar Championship, comprised of six drivers who will compete in the GTP class.
Key Signings:
- Laurens Vanthoor and Kevin Estre will reunite, transitioning from Porsche’s World Endurance Championship (WEC) program to drive the #6 Porsche 963 LMDh for the entire season.
- To bolster their endurance efforts, Matt Campbell, the reigning GTP champion, returns for five endurance races alongside Vanthoor and Estre.
Driver Changes:
- In the #7 vehicle, Felipe Nasr retains his seat and will be joined by Julien Andlauer, who served as a factory driver in WEC this year. Laurin Heinrich will serve as the third driver, stepping in after his debut LMDh appearance at the WEC finale in Bahrain.
Season Outlook:
Porsche’s downsizing follows its exit from the Hypercar category, reducing its roster from eight full-time drivers to four, supplemented by two additional drivers for endurance events. Notably absent from the line-up are Michael Christensen and Nick Tandy, the latter having recently completed a rare sextuple crown in endurance racing.
The 2025 season saw Porsche dominate IMSA, capturing the drivers’, teams’, and manufacturers’ championships. Although Porsche achieved victories in the WEC, it finished third overall in the standings, trailing Ferrari and Toyota, and narrowly missed adding a 20th Le Mans victory, finishing second to a Ferrari trio.
End Note: Questions remain regarding the addition of a fourth driver for the Rolex 24 at Daytona, slated for January.
