First historical win of the new 296 GT3 Evo
At the 12 Hours of Sebring – the second round of the IMSA SportsCar Championship and the IMSA Endurance Cup – Ferrari scored the first historical win of the new 296 GT3 Evo as a result of AF Corse USA’s success in GTD class with factory drivers Antonio Fuoco and Lilou Wadoux, joined by Simon Mann.
Fuoco gets 296 GT3 Evo first victory
Running seventh at a restart with 16 minutes and 40 seconds remaining, Antonio Fuoco drove flawlessly the #21 Ferrari 296 GT3 Evo. He needed only four minutes to move into second place, and he repeatedly pressured the class leader before finally taking the lead in the last lap diving into Turn 10. Fuoco’s determination would ultimately lead to the first victory for the Evo version of the Ferrari 296 GT3.
AF Corse USA’s win did not come without its setbacks, having had to serve some drive through penalties in the final hours of the race. However, by the checkered flag, It was the third IMSA class victory at Sebring and the sixth overall for Af Corse. Mann and Wadoux earned their second WeatherTech Championship win in the last three races after winning the 2025 season-ending Motul Petit Le Mans; Wadoux is the first woman to earn a class win at Sebring since Christina Nielsen in 2016.
📷 © Luc Warnotte at Sebring. #21 AF Corse USA Ferrari 296 GT3 Evo .
“It was a really chaotic race with some small mistakes, but at the end, we managed to put everything together,” said Fuoco, who was twice penalized for incident responsibility. “On the last lap, the Aston made a small mistake in Turn 10. I saw the opportunity and tried to go on the outside around Turns 11 and 12, and it worked out. I think Lilou, Simon and the team did an awesome job to never give up. After the last Safety Car, we were seventh with 26 minutes to go, and we won.”
“I went really aggressive through Turn 1 on the last restart and overtook two or three cars in one lap,” said the Italian, who also drives for Ferrari’s Hypercar team in the FIA World Endurance Championship. “Then I tried to push to the end. I’d put the last stint in the top three of GT races I’ve done so far.” Source: IMSA
Vantage continues brilliant IMSA podium run
Aston Martin’s multiple championship-winning Vantage race car continued its strong start to the 2026 season, recording a third IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship podium finish in just two races, as the Heart of Racing Team [THOR] took a superb second in the 74th Mobil 1 12 Hours of Sebring.
The result, which follows Vantage’s second and third places in January’s season-opening Rolex 24 at Daytona, ensured that the British ultra-luxury brand’s most successful ever racing car recorded its fourth rostrum finish in six years at the notoriously punishing Florida venue.
THOR’s Aston Martin was a victory contender all weekend, with Dudu Barrichello (BRA) recording an emphatic class pole position on his 12 Hours of Sebring debut. The achievement echoed fellow THOR racer Mattia Drudi’s (ITA) own pole lap at Daytona, meaning Vantage, and the Seattle-based team, have yet to be outpaced in qualifying in 2026. Barrichello’s lap also ensured Vantage is the current pole position-holder at three of sportscar racing’s most prestigious events; the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the Rolex 24 and the 12 Hours of Sebring.
As a result of the 26 hours of Florida, the Heart of Racing Team leads the GTD teams championship with a 29-point margin over AF Corse. Likewise, Heart of Racing Team’s Gamble, Dudu Barrichello and Zacharie Robichon enjoy a 29-point advantage over Af Corse’s Fuoco, Lilou Wadoux and Simon Mann in the GTD Drivers championship. On the GTD manufacturers front it’s Aston Martin ahead of Mercedes-AMG by 16 points with Ferrari an additional 10 points in arrears.
📷 © Luc Warnotte at Sebring. #27 Heart of Racing Team Aston martin Vantage
“I am disappointed for us to have come so close…. Again,” said Gamble. “But second place at Sebring is something we should all feel proud of, and it underlines the strong start to the season we’re having. My teammates were outstanding all weekend, and the team put together an amazing car, and the strategy was exceptional to get us back into contention through the race. It’s been an exciting start to the year, and these points will set us well on our way, but it’s tough to lose the win at such a late moment and it will be a while before this one doesn’t hurt!” Source: Aston Martin
Porsche 911 GT3 R podium
Wright Motorsports clinched a podium finish with the #120 911 GT3 R in the very final moments of the race.
📷 © Luc Warnotte at Sebring. #120 Wright Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R
#80 Lone Star Racing Mercedes-AMG fourth
S. Andrews, L. Hodenuis and J. Roe ended fourth with #80 Lone Star Racing Mercedes-AMG fourth
📷 © Luc Warnotte at Sebring. #80 Lone Star Racing Mercedes-AMG fourth
#96 Turner Motorsport BMW M4 GT3 fifth
BMW M works driver Robby Foley, Patrick Gallagher and Francis Selldorff (all USA) came fifth for Turner Motorsport, sharing driving duties in the #96 car.
📷 © Luc Warnotte at Sebring. #96 Turner Motorsport BMW M4 GT3
Robby Foley (#96 BMW M4 GT3 EVO, Turner Motorsport, 5th place GTD): “We had an up-and-down day. Our car was fast at the beginning of the race, and then we took some damage throughout the course of it. There were a couple of strategy decisions at the end that could have gone either way. We gave it our best shot. P5 is great points again. We’ll take them and move on to Long Beach.” Source: BMW
GTD Ranking
Source: IMSA
Related Info
📷 © Luc Warnotte at Sebring. Acura ahead of BMW at S12, behind BMW in rankings
📷 © Luc Warnotte at Sebring 2026. Porsche 911 GT3 R 1-2 finish in GTD Pro
📷 © Luc Warnotte at Sebring. Whelen Cadillac third despite incident
📷 © Luc Warnotte at Sebring. Porsche 963 tops GTP and the 911 GT3 R leads GT
