Laurens Vanthoor led Porsche Penske Motorsport 1-2 in opening practice for the 2026 IMSA Sebring 12 Hours.
Held on Thursday morning under clear Florida skies, the 90-minute session unfolded with intense competition across the GTP, LMP2, and GTD classes, as 55 entries tackled the bumpy 3.74-mile circuit known for its punishing concrete patches and high-speed straights.
As the green flag dropped at 10:05 a.m. ET, the GTP field erupted into action with the No. 6 Porsche Penske 963, sporting a striking Mobil 1 throwback livery, immediately asserting dominance through Vanthoor’s precise lap times.
The Belgian ace sharing the car with Kévin Estre and Matt Campbell clocked a blistering 1:47.985 on his 36th lap, the only time of the session to breach the 1m48s barrier.
Just 0.026 seconds adrift was teammate Felipe Nasr in the No. 7 Porsche 963 paired with Julien Andlauer and Laurin Heinrich, underlining Porsche Penske Motorsport’s factory edge as they chase a historic 20th Sebring win.
Trailing the Porsches, the Cadillac contingent mounted a strong challenge led by Jack Aitken who posted the third fastest time in the No. 31 Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R, just 0.204 seconds off Laurens Vanthoor’s benchmark.
Fourth place went to Louis Deletraz in the No. 40 Wayne Taylor Racing Cadillac, edging Filipe Albuquerque and Will Stevens in the No. 10 sister car by 0.378 seconds.
Meyer Shank Racing’s No. 60 Acura ARX-06 driven by Tom Blomqvist slotted into sixth, followed by BMW M Team WRT duo: the No. 24 BMW M Hybrid V8 of Dries Vanthoor leading the No. 25 entry of Philipp Eng.
A minor incident marred the No. 25’s run when Sheldon van der Linde clipped the No. 73 Pratt Miller LMP2 at Turn 14, picking up a drive-through penalty but no lasting damage.
The opening IMSA Sebring practice was also punctuated by two five-minute holds at the start for the No. 24 BMW and No. 912 Manthey Porsche due to torque sensor issues, forcing strategic early running.
Ross Gunn’s No. 23 Aston Martin Valkyrie AMR and Renger van der Zande’s No. 93 MSR Acura rounded out the GTP top ten with the No. 5 JDC/Miller Porsche 963 taking 11th with Tom van der Helm.
Shifting to LMP2, the No. 22 United Autosports Oreca led in the hands of Paul di Resta, beating Ferdinand Habsburg’s No. 18 Era Motorsport entry by 0.048 seconds.
AO Racing’s No. 99 Oreca driven by David Cameron was third fastest in class but suffered a dramatic setback when Hyett backed the dragon-themed car into the Turn 17 wall 38 minutes from the end, triggering a red flag and prompting a spare car rollout amid significant right-rear damage.
In the production-based GTD ranks, Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evos dominated the timing screens with Rolex 24-winning No. 57 Winward Racing entry of Philip Ellis leading the No. 80 Lone Star Racing Mercedes with Scott Andrews at the wheel.
Lorenzo Patrese, meanwhile, powered the No. 34 Conquest Racing Ferrari 296 GT3 to third in class.
GTD Pro standout was Alessio Picariello’s No. 77 AO Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R in seventh overall.
READ MORE:
Full 2026 IMSA Sebring 12 Hours weekend schedule: Times, TV, streaming
2026 IMSA SportsCar Championship calendar: All venues and dates
