Porsche Penske Motorsport overhauls IMSA driver line-up for 2026

Porsche Penske Motorsport has announced its drivers for the upcoming 2026 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.

Following the closure of Porsche Penske’s factory FIA World Endurance Championship team, former WEC drivers Kévin Estre, Laurens Vanthoor, and Julien Andlauer have been assigned to full-time IMSA duties in 2026.

Estre and Vanthoor, the 2024 FIA Hypercar World Endurance Champions, will stay together and drive the No. 6 Porsche 963 – as they’ve done for the past three seasons in the WEC. The duo finished second overall at this year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans and won the Lone Star Le Mans at COTA, en route to fourth in the drivers’ championship.

Reigning IMSA GTP Champion Matt Campbell will remain in the No. 6 Porsche as its Michelin Endurance Cup driver. In doing so, Campbell will continue his connection with Estre and Vanthoor, with whom he finished second at Le Mans in June and won at COTA.

With Campbell in a scaled-down program for 2026 and Mathieu Jaminet’s departure to Genesis, neither half of the reigning IMSA GTP Drivers’ Champions will defend their championships this coming season. 

Andlauer, who joined Porsche Penske’s WEC program last season, will now move over to drive the No. 7 Porsche 963 in place of Nick Tandy alongside 2024 IMSA GTP champion and two-time Rolex 24 At Daytona winner Felipe Nasr, who is the only full-time driver from last season’s IMSA fleet to remain in the same role in 2026.

After an exceptional two-year stint as the lead driver for Porsche GTD PRO team AO Racing, rising star Laurin Heinrich will be the Endurance Cup driver of the No. 7 Porsche. Heinrich made his prototype racing debut earlier this month at the WEC 8 Hours of Bahrain, driving alongside Andlauer.

Both Campbell and Heinrich will run the three longest races of the Michelin Endurance Cup, including Daytona, the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring, and Motul Petit Le Mans at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta.