Nasr: “Badass” Porsche 963 reminds me of F1 hybrid days
Former Sauber Formula 1 racer Felipe Nasr says driving the new generation of IMSA GTP prototypes reminds him of his time racing turbo-hybrid grand prix cars.
Nasr, who won the IMSA SportsCar Championship in 2018 and 2021 in Action Express-run Cadillacs, raced for Sauber in F1 from 2015-16 – with a best result of fifth on his grand prix debut in Australia.
The 30-year-old Brazilian signed for Porsche’s factory sportscar team at the end of 2021, winning the GTD Pro class at the Daytona 24 Hours with Pfaff Motorsports' 911 GT3R last year, and has been testing its new 963 challenger “since it was born”.
He has racked up the mileage since its rollout at Weissach, at tracks across both America and Europe.
“The addition of the hybrid system reminds me of my F1 days, there’s a lot going on there on the steering wheel for us drivers to see and do,” Nasr told Autosport.
“I can’t wait to see the cars racing together. They are wider and longer [than before] – they look badass to me!
“It’s a unique feeling to be involved from Day 1 and seeing the 963 being born even before it had hit the track. It’s been a very cool experience to be involved since the beginning.”
Nasr, who will race the #7 Porsche 963 in IMSA this year alongside Matt Campbell, explained that the advent of the common hybrid system has changed the driving dynamics of the prototype machines, compared with the previous Daytona Prototype category.
#7 Porsche Penske Motorsport, Porsche 963, GTP: Felipe Nasr
Photo by: Porsche
“It feels different to the DPi with the hybrid on the car, there are definitely some driving differences in terms of the style and the new tire,” he added. “When we press the brake pedal we don’t just have the mechanical system, we have the combined hybrid system, so the e-motor is also helping us slow down the car.
“You stamp the brake, you expect the stopping power right away – so this hasn’t changed, but the feeling you get through the pedal is different. I think we all had to go through a process of learning that, but it’s fun. The car looks good and it drives good.”
The inclusion of electrical power, which is regenerated under braking, will play a part by increasing stint lengths – which should put more of an onus on tire and fuel management. Nasr also pointed to the increase in weight that the battery and MGU brings, which will also be a factor.
He said: “There’s a lot more power than a DPi, the only downside I would say is the weight – a bit heavier [by about 100kg] than they used to be. You can feel that in corner speeds, and the energy we put into the tires is a lot higher than before.
“Stint lengths will be longer, more driving time for us – so maybe we won’t be driving flat out for 35-40 minutes like we did with DPi. Now we will have to look after the car, tyres and fuel for about 50-60 minutes. That’s a good addition of time, I think the drivers will feel it physically too!
“The racing in IMSA is one of the most fun things I’ve ever done: it’s challenging, it’s hard, you have a lot of good drivers and teams. With all these manufacturers involved, this is going to produce prime time for sportscar racing. I’m really looking forward to it.”
Porsche: Long-term aim should be Le Mans Hypercar and LMDh unification
Power withdraws from Daytona 24 due to wife’s ill health
Bathurst 12 Hour: Van Gisbergen Mercedes leads after first quarter
Shane van Gisbergen’s Triple Eight Mercedes headed Matt Campbell’s Manthey Porsche after three hours of racing at Mount Panorama in the Bathurst 12 Hour.
Tanak scores first Puma win in preparation for WRC Rally Sweden
Ott Tanak claimed his first victory driving an M-Sport Ford Puma after winning the Otepaa Winter Rally in preparation for next week’s World Rally Championship round in Sweden.
Ranking the worst Formula 1 cars to win a grand prix
Cars that rarely looked like contenders for victory have occasionally slipped through the net to become winners of world championship Formula 1 races. But which was the worst of the bunch?
Schumacher radio criticism highlighted F1 privacy change for Russell
George Russell says that the way an off-the-cuff radio remark criticising Mick Schumacher last year became a big deal shows how he is more under the spotlight in Formula 1.
How MSR took Acura to the first win of sportscar racing's new era
After much anticipation, the new dawn for sportscar racing got underway with a result that mirrored last year's IMSA SportsCar Championship's season-opener run to the previous DPi rules. Here's how Acura once again took top honours in the Daytona 24 Hours with a 1-2 led by Meyer Shank Racing, as the new GTP class for LMDh hybrid prototypes made its bow
The big question concerning IMSA's new LMDh cars on their debut
The new LMDh era finally begins in earnest this weekend with the IMSA SportsCar Championship curtain-raiser at Daytona. The prospect of multiple marques going all guns blazing for victory over 24 hours is a salivating one for fans of sportscar racing, but what are the chances of the new hybrid machines (known as GTP cars Stateside) proving reliable enough to win on debut?
Inside BMW's long-awaited prototype racing return
Much like German OEM rival Porsche, BMW's absence from sportscar racing’s top flight will be ended this weekend when a pair of M Hybrid V8 prototypes make their debut in the Daytona 24 Hours. A programme focused on the IMSA SportsCar Championship for now will expand to the World Endurance Championship and Le Mans next year, in a sign of both its ambition and pragmatism
How Porsche and Penske are gearing up for sportscar racing's bold new era
Porsche and Penske have teamed up to tackle the world's biggest sportscar races in 2023 with the new 963 LMDh car. Autosport was on hand at the recent Daytona test to hear from key players in the partnership as it prepares for dual campaigns across the IMSA SportsCar Championship and World Endurance Championship
The plug in and play stand-ins who got their timing just right
Nyck de Vries’s Italian GP exploits weren’t the first post-eleventh-hour call-up in motorsport history, and won’t be the last either. Here are some offbeat tales from the past
The long road to convergence for sportscar racing's new golden age
The organisers of the World Endurance Championship and IMSA SportsCar Championship worked together to devise the popular new LMDh rule set. But to turn it from an idea into reality, some serious compromises were involved - both from the prospective LMDh entrants and those with existing Le Mans Hypercar projects...
How Porsche's Le Mans legend changed the game
The 956 set the bar at the dawn of Group C 40 years ago, and that mark only rose higher through the 1980s, both in the world championship and in the US. It and its successor, the longer-wheelbase 962, were voted as Autosport's greatest sportscar in 2020 - here's why
Why BMW shouldn't be overlooked on its return to prototypes
OPINION: While the focus has been on the exciting prospect of Ferrari vs Porsche at the Le Mans 24 Hours next year, BMW’s factory return to endurance racing should not be ignored. It won't be at the French classic next year as it focuses efforts on the IMSA SportsCar Championship, but could be a dark horse in 2024 when it returns to La Sarthe with the crack WRT squad
Subscribe and access Autosport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.