Porsche Penske Motorsport seized its long-awaited breakthrough in the 2025 FIA World Endurance Championship at COTA, taking a commanding victory in the Hypercar class after a race punctuated by relentless rain and strategic upheaval. The #6 Porsche 963, driven by Kevin Estre, Matt Campbell, and Laurens Vanthoor, showed exceptional composure amid frequent safety car and red flag interruptions, adapting quickest to the soaked Texas circuit.
From the outset, Porsche made clear its intent, running with aggressive tyre selections and precision in pit timing that kept them in close contention with Ferrari and Cadillac through the chaos of the opening laps. Estre’s decisive move past Pier Guidi’s Ferrari, following a restart, ultimately defined the battle for victory; contact led to a puncture for Ferrari and let Porsche pull clear, maintaining a margin through multiple restarts.
The German-American outfit executed each phase of the race with discipline, successfully managing traffic and wet-weather tyre degradation as rivals floundered. Vanthoor and Campbell managed ultra-consistent stints, leaving Estre clear to bring the car home with a gap of just under ten seconds after the final neutralisation.
This win, the first for Porsche in the 2025 WEC season, marks a vital resurgence for the manufacturer and a validation of the Penske operational ethos. With this result, Porsche re-enters the championship fight and demonstrates its ability to master both raw pace and the strategic demands of endurance racing at the highest level, raising expectations for the season’s remaining rounds.
