IMSA
Porsche 963 to race in Mobil 1 livery at the 12 Hours of Sebring
18 Mar. 2026 • 19:29
Photo : Porsche
The factory team Porsche Penske Motorsport will compete in the legendary Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring on March 21 with a special livery: both hybrid prototypes from Weissach will run in blue and red accents on a white base at the endurance classic in the US state of Florida. With this special design, Porsche and the oil company ExxonMobil celebrate a close partnership spanning 30 years and characterized by innovation – both in motorsport and in the automotive sector
June 14, 1996 marked the beginning of a strong partnership: at that year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans, the two Porsche 911 GT1 factory entries in Mobil 1 livery finished second and third behind a customer Porsche. On that day, the Stuttgart-based sports car manufacturer and the US energy company signed a groundbreaking agreement that included the factory fill of lubricants for all new Porsche vehicles delivered worldwide.
“The close and highly trusted partnership between Porsche and Mobil 1 has produced countless unforgettable moments and lasting innovations,” explains Thomas Laudenbach, Vice President Porsche Motorsport. “We have always used competition on race tracks around the world to test technologies and push boundaries. Mobil 1 has accompanied us on this journey for 30 years as the ideal partner. This year’s Sebring race and the special livery place this partnership in the spotlight. The anniversary also fits perfectly into our celebrations marking 75 years of Porsche Motorsport.”
“Mobil 1 has been an essential technology partner for Porsche for decades – a period defined by race victories, championship titles and groundbreaking engineering,” says Kelli H. Wright, Director, Lubricants Global Markets, Exxonmobil Product Solutions. “With a special livery at Sebring, we honor this shared anniversary and celebrate a collaboration that continues to drive performance, efficiency and innovation for the future of motorsport and production vehicles.”
Innovation and success have defined the collaboration over the past 30 years. Just two years after the partnership began, the further-developed Porsche 911 GT1 in Mobil 1 livery triumphed against fierce competition at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. During the 2000s, the partnership played a significant role in the major successes of the Porsche RS Spyder in North America and Europe. With the latest developments in engine oils and battery cooling fluids, Mobil 1 and Porsche helped give the Porsche 919 Hybrid the performance edge needed to secure six world championship titles and three overall Le Mans victories between 2014 and 2017. In recent years, innovations in cooling technology for the electric motors and batteries of the Porsche GT4 e-Performance have delivered major advances. The fully electric prototype can sustainably deliver up to 800 kW (1,088 PS) on track. In Formula E, Mobil 1 is also an important technical partner of the Porsche factory team. Since 2007, the brand has served as the title sponsor of the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup, which takes place alongside selected Formula 1 events in Europe.
“Even with the current Porsche 963, we benefit in many areas from Mobil 1’s innovations and expertise,” explains Urs Kuratle, Director Factory Motorsport LMDh. “In the tightly contested IMSA series, the smallest details make the difference – and recently we have consistently been at the front. The championship titles in the past two years and another victory at the 24 Hours of Daytona in January underline this. Together with all our partners, we want to keep winning in this anniversary year.”
The race
The traditional race in Sebring is widely regarded as an especially tough test for both drivers and machinery. One reason is the nature of the historic circuit, which partially runs across a former military airfield. Around 30 percent of the track surface consists of concrete slabs, and the pronounced bumps present an additional challenge. The IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship event at the 6.02-kilometer Sebring International Raceway will be held for the 74th time. With 19 overall victories, Porsche is the most successful manufacturer in the history of this endurance classic.
The factory team Porsche Penske Motorsport will field two Porsche 963 entries in the top GTP class. Car #7 – driven by Daytona winners Felipe Nasr (Brazil), Julien Andlauer (France) and Laurin Heinrich (Germany) – arrives at the 12-hour race as the championship leader. Their teammates Kévin Estre (France), Laurens Vanthoor (Belgium) and Matt Campbell (Australia) currently hold fourth place in the standings in the #6 car. Porsche also leads the manufacturers’ championship. In the GTD Pro class. Customer teams Manthey and AO Racing each field a Porsche 911 GT3 R. Additional 911 GT3 R entries compete in the GTD category.
Porsche race cars at the 12 Hours of Sebring
GTP class (Porsche 963):
#6 Porsche Penske Motorsport: Kévin Estre (FRA), Laurens Vanthoor (BEL), Matt Campbell (AUS)
#7 Porsche Penske Motorsport: Julien Andlauer (FRA), Felipe Nasr (BRA), Laurin Heinrich (DEU)
#5 JDC-Miller MotorSports: Nico Pino (CHL), Tijmen van der Helm (NLD), Kaylen Frederick (USA)
GTD Pro class (Porsche 911 GT3 R):
#77 AO Racing: Nick Tandy (GBR), Harry King (GBR), Alessio Picariello (BEL)
#911 Manthey: Thomas Preining (AUT), Klaus Bachler (AUT), Ricardo Feller (CHE)
GTD class (Porsche 911 GT3 R):
#28 RS1: Spencer Pumpelly (USA), Jan Heylen (BEL), Dillon Machavern (USA)
#120 Wright Motorsports: Adam Adelson (USA), Tom Sargent (AUS), Callum Ilott (GBR)
#912 Manthey 1st Phorm: Ryan Hardwick (USA), Riccardo Pera (ITA), Morris Schuring (NLD)
“The close and highly trusted partnership between Porsche and Mobil 1 has produced countless unforgettable moments and lasting innovations,” explains Thomas Laudenbach, Vice President Porsche Motorsport. “We have always used competition on race tracks around the world to test technologies and push boundaries. Mobil 1 has accompanied us on this journey for 30 years as the ideal partner. This year’s Sebring race and the special livery place this partnership in the spotlight. The anniversary also fits perfectly into our celebrations marking 75 years of Porsche Motorsport.”
“Mobil 1 has been an essential technology partner for Porsche for decades – a period defined by race victories, championship titles and groundbreaking engineering,” says Kelli H. Wright, Director, Lubricants Global Markets, Exxonmobil Product Solutions. “With a special livery at Sebring, we honor this shared anniversary and celebrate a collaboration that continues to drive performance, efficiency and innovation for the future of motorsport and production vehicles.”
Innovation and success have defined the collaboration over the past 30 years. Just two years after the partnership began, the further-developed Porsche 911 GT1 in Mobil 1 livery triumphed against fierce competition at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. During the 2000s, the partnership played a significant role in the major successes of the Porsche RS Spyder in North America and Europe. With the latest developments in engine oils and battery cooling fluids, Mobil 1 and Porsche helped give the Porsche 919 Hybrid the performance edge needed to secure six world championship titles and three overall Le Mans victories between 2014 and 2017. In recent years, innovations in cooling technology for the electric motors and batteries of the Porsche GT4 e-Performance have delivered major advances. The fully electric prototype can sustainably deliver up to 800 kW (1,088 PS) on track. In Formula E, Mobil 1 is also an important technical partner of the Porsche factory team. Since 2007, the brand has served as the title sponsor of the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup, which takes place alongside selected Formula 1 events in Europe.
“Even with the current Porsche 963, we benefit in many areas from Mobil 1’s innovations and expertise,” explains Urs Kuratle, Director Factory Motorsport LMDh. “In the tightly contested IMSA series, the smallest details make the difference – and recently we have consistently been at the front. The championship titles in the past two years and another victory at the 24 Hours of Daytona in January underline this. Together with all our partners, we want to keep winning in this anniversary year.”
The race
The traditional race in Sebring is widely regarded as an especially tough test for both drivers and machinery. One reason is the nature of the historic circuit, which partially runs across a former military airfield. Around 30 percent of the track surface consists of concrete slabs, and the pronounced bumps present an additional challenge. The IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship event at the 6.02-kilometer Sebring International Raceway will be held for the 74th time. With 19 overall victories, Porsche is the most successful manufacturer in the history of this endurance classic.
The factory team Porsche Penske Motorsport will field two Porsche 963 entries in the top GTP class. Car #7 – driven by Daytona winners Felipe Nasr (Brazil), Julien Andlauer (France) and Laurin Heinrich (Germany) – arrives at the 12-hour race as the championship leader. Their teammates Kévin Estre (France), Laurens Vanthoor (Belgium) and Matt Campbell (Australia) currently hold fourth place in the standings in the #6 car. Porsche also leads the manufacturers’ championship. In the GTD Pro class. Customer teams Manthey and AO Racing each field a Porsche 911 GT3 R. Additional 911 GT3 R entries compete in the GTD category.
Porsche race cars at the 12 Hours of Sebring
GTP class (Porsche 963):
#6 Porsche Penske Motorsport: Kévin Estre (FRA), Laurens Vanthoor (BEL), Matt Campbell (AUS)
#7 Porsche Penske Motorsport: Julien Andlauer (FRA), Felipe Nasr (BRA), Laurin Heinrich (DEU)
#5 JDC-Miller MotorSports: Nico Pino (CHL), Tijmen van der Helm (NLD), Kaylen Frederick (USA)
GTD Pro class (Porsche 911 GT3 R):
#77 AO Racing: Nick Tandy (GBR), Harry King (GBR), Alessio Picariello (BEL)
#911 Manthey: Thomas Preining (AUT), Klaus Bachler (AUT), Ricardo Feller (CHE)
GTD class (Porsche 911 GT3 R):
#28 RS1: Spencer Pumpelly (USA), Jan Heylen (BEL), Dillon Machavern (USA)
#120 Wright Motorsports: Adam Adelson (USA), Tom Sargent (AUS), Callum Ilott (GBR)
#912 Manthey 1st Phorm: Ryan Hardwick (USA), Riccardo Pera (ITA), Morris Schuring (NLD)
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