Porsche’s first WEC victory of the season in Austin

WECHyperCar

Sep 8

The 99th race of the FIA World Endurance Championship will certainly be remembered for the demanding conditions faced by the teams throughout this grueling six-hour event.

At the end of an action-packed and dramatic 6-hour race, the works team Porsche Penske Motorsport celebrated its first victory of the FIA WEC season at the Circuit of The Americas. Defending World Endurance Champions Kévin Estre and Laurens Vanthoor as well as Matt Campbell delivered a flawless performance despite treacherous conditions. At the flag, the Porsche 963 crew held an advantage of 8.625 seconds.

Kévin Estre in the #6 Porsche take checkered flag first.. — 📷 © Piero Lonardo at Italian Endurance. **Kévin Estre** in the #6 Porsche take checkered flag first..

Estre takes the lead

By the scheduled 1:00 pm local start, the Circuit of The Americas was so wet that race control ordered a start behind the Safety Car. For around an hour the Hypercars and GT3 machines circulated behind the pace car before a red flag stoppage was called.

100 minutes after the official start of the sixth round did the ca. 500 kW (680 PS) Porsche 963 and the rest of the field get green-flag racing – but not for long. The slippery track surface caused repeated incidents. Numerous spins and minor accidents brought the Safety Car out several times. The two factory-run Porsche Penske Motorsport hybrid prototypes managed to keep it clean despite the challenging conditions. After four and a half hours, Kévin Estre in the #6 Porsche took the lead and held it to the finish.

📷 © Luc Warnotte at Lone Star Le Mans. Porsche 963 #6

“I’m so proud of the drivers, the pit crew, the engineers, and our strategists,” added Urs Kuratle, Director Factory Motorsport LMDh. “We were at the top of our game in the most difficult circumstances. When conditions are like today, where perfect teamwork and extraordinary driving skills are decisive, that’s when we truly shine. I couldn’t be happier for the whole crew. Perfect in every way!”

In the manufacturers’ championship, Porsche sits second with two rounds remaining. Estre/Vanthoor are currently placed fifth in the drivers’ standings

Kévin Estre (Porsche 963 #6): “Winning the ‘Lone Star Le Mans’ in Austin feels absolutely amazing. We were positively surprised, because on a dry track during practice we were never among the frontrunners. In qualifying we set a good foundation in tricky conditions. From third on the grid, we were able to deliver a spotless performance in the race. I’m proud to be part of this great team.”

Matt Campbell (Porsche 963 #6): “We really didn’t expect a result like this going into race day. I’m over the moon. The track conditions were extremely tricky at times. Still, we stayed clean over the distance. The whole team did a mega job. It’s simply fantastic to celebrate our first WEC win of the year.”

Laurens Vanthoor (Porsche 963 #6): “This win came unexpectedly – which makes it feel even sweeter. The wet track conditions challenged us, but exactly under these circumstances we could play to our strengths as Porsche Penske Motorsport.” Source: Porsche

Ferrari #50 second

Ferrari clinched second place at the Lone Star Le Mans, sixth round of the FIA WEC 2025, with the 499P #50 of Antonio Fuoco, Miguel Molina and Nicklas Nielsen.

Nielsen with the #50 499P remained in the top five. Fuoco and Molina delivered a strong race to bring the #50 Ferrari 499 on the podium.

In the World Manufacturers’ Championship Ferrari is first with 203 points. In the drivers’ standings, as mentioned, Pier Guidi-Calado-Giovinazzi lead with 115 points; second Ye-Kubica-Hanson with 100 points, fourth Fuoco-Molina-Nielsen on 75 points.

📷 © Luc Warnotte at Lone Star Le Mans. #50 Ferrari AF Corse 499P.

Antonio Fuoco Ferrari - AF Corse #50 : “I think this was the race with the toughest conditions since we entered this championship. We did a great job; it was very important not to make mistakes and bring home a lot of points compared to our rivals. We were a bit unlucky in the last Full Course Yellow, finding ourselves behind a car that was going slowly, otherwise we could have fought for the win.”

Miguel Molina Ferrari - AF Corse #50 : “It was a tough race given the conditions in which it was contested, but we gave it our all and this second place is positive both for the manufacturers’ and drivers’ championships. I’m pleased with the work done, and now I look ahead with confidence to the next round at Fuji.”

Nicklas Nielsen Ferrari - AF Corse #50 : “We hoped to achieve a bit more, but second place at the end of a race like this, affected by truly difficult weather conditions, is a great result because we made no mistakes and were able to make the most of the 499P’s potential. We leave COTA with many valuable points for the world championship standings, looking ahead with optimism to the last two rounds of the season.” Source: Ferrari

Peugeot 9X8 rewarded with 3rd and 4th place

Behind the wheel of the Peugeot 9X8s, with very limited visibility in the middle of the pack, Loïc Duval and Jean-Eric Vergne managed to climb up the standings. Starting from 11th place, Loïc finished his stint in 8th position.  Meanwhile, Jean-Eric Vergne, who started 18th after a penalty considered to be harsh, worked his way up to 13th place before handing over to Paul Di Resta.

📷 © Luc Warnotte at Lone Star of Le Mans. PEUGEOT 9X8 #94

The rain never stopped during the stints of Malthe Jakobsen and Paul Di Resta, who continued the amazing charge of the PEUGEOT 9X8s on wet tires. When Mikkel Jensen and Stoffel Vandoorne took over, both Peugeots were already inside the top 10. The final drivers for Team Peugeot TotalEnergies delivered outstanding performances in constantly treacherous grip conditions, bringing the cars home in 3rd and 4th place!

Malthe Jakobsen (PEUGEOT 9X8 #94): “It was so much fun in the car — on a soaked track, with so little visibility, and in the middle of heavy traffic! This is an amazing result for the team, and it’s my first podium in WEC. What a crazy race, the team did an incredible job.”

Mikkel Jensen (PEUGEOT 9X8 #93): “It was absolutely wild in the car!  We managed the wet tires perfectly, and we were super efficient in the final hour as the track began to dry. We fought all the way to climb from 18th to 4th place. This is a fantastic reward for the entire team.” Source: Peugeot Sport

Three hours leading Ferrari ends fifth

Calado with the 499P #51 took the lead in the second hour – a position also held for a long time by Giovinazzi and Pier Guidi –, ahead of Hanson in the #83 car.
The episode that slowed the 499P #51 came less than two hours from the end, when Pier Guidi suffered a contact that caused the front-left tyre to puncture, forcing the team into a pit stop. The Italian driver returned to the track in 13th, beginning a fantastic comeback that brought him back into the leading positions, although no longer able to fight for the podium.

📷 © Luc Warnotte at Lone Star Le Mans. #51 Ferrari AF Corse 499P.

Alessandro Pier Guidi Ferrari - AF Corse #51: “It’s hard to see the positive side in a race like this. I believe the move at the restart (by the Porsche, Ed.) was not correct, both before the finish line, where it’s not allowed to stay alongside another car, and in turn one, where I had left plenty of space and there was contact that affected our race due to the puncture. In the end, I tried to do my best to recover, and finishing fifth, I think, is almost a miracle.”

James Calado Ferrari - AF Corse #51: “We raced in very difficult conditions, keeping the car on track was really tricky. Despite this, we did everything as well as possible, with a great car to rely on. I managed to take the lead and then my teammates were doing an excellent job, until the puncture stopped us from fighting for the win. Finishing fifth today is something extraordinary considering how the race had developed, and the points we earned are very important because they allow us to consolidate first place in the standings. “

Antonio Giovinazzi Ferrari - AF Corse #51: “It’s a shame because we were in a great position to try and win but then came a puncture after very light contact. Now we’re thinking about the next race at Fuji, which certainly won’t be easy, but we’ll give our best with the goal of bouncing straight back.“ Source: Ferrari