12 Hours of Sebring – H+1: Porsche in the lead, penalty for BMW

Starting from pole position, Dries Vanthoor's #24 BMW was the big loser almost from the start. The Belgian driver changed lanes before crossing the start/finish line, going from the left side of the track to the right. This was an illegal move, punishable by a drive-through penalty. Vanthoor found himself even more trapped when a neutralization occurred in the sixth minute of the race, erasing the advantage he had built up over his pursuers. The BMW then served its penalty at the restart, leaving the field at the back of the pack.

Both Porsche The officials then led the race, ahead of the two Meyer Shank Racing Acuras. For Cadillac, the first few minutes were more difficult, with a throttle issue affecting the No. 10 car of Filipe Albuquerque, Ricky Taylor and Will Stevens.

It was definitely not good to lead the debates in his category in this first hour, the Ferrari #21 (GTD) of Alessandro Pier Guidi, Simon Mann and Lilou Wadoux suffered a brake problem. Pier Guidi managed to avoid the wall after an impressive spin, but the 296 GT3 had to return to the pits immediately afterward to fix the problem on the front-left brake. Mercedes No. 32, which had then taken the lead in the category, collided with the No. 20 Porsche (GTD Pro) and also lost control after 25 minutes of racing!

Just before the end of the first hour, the race was again neutralized due to the accident of the #023 Ferrari, slightly helped by the #10 Cadillac. This meant the end of the race for Onofrio Triarsi, Charles Scardina and Alessio Rovera. This triggered some staggered strategies in GTP, with the top 4 not stopping directly, for example, the light at the entrance to the pits probably preventing them. The start of the second hour will therefore take place with the #63 Lamborghini of Romain Grosjean at the forefront, ahead of Cadillacs #31 and #40!

12H of Sebring – Standings after one hour