Nasr regrets 'fantastic' Alonso Daytona 24 Hours battle ended early
Felipe Nasr regrets the fact that his "fantastic" battle for the lead in last weekend's Daytona 24 Hours with fellow ex-Formula 1 driver Fernando Alonso was cut short by red flags
Action Express Racing Cadillac driver Nasr was leading the Wayne Taylor Racing Cadillac of Alonso heading into the final stages of the IMSA SportsCar Championship season-opener before it was stopped with just under two hours to go as a result of heavy rain.
Prior to the early finish, Nasr aquaplaned and ran wide into Turn 1 and had no time to battle Alonso in pursuit of retaking the lead.
That ensured victory went to Alonso and team-mates Renger van der Zande, Jordan Taylor and Kamui Kobayashi, while Nasr, Pipo Derani and Eric Curran took second.
"It was fantastic to share those moments with Fernando," Nasr told Autosport.
"He's a great driver, we all know that, and in any car that you put him in he's going to show his best.
"Fernando and I, I think we were the strongest guys out there in those conditions, and I really wish we could have raced for the remainder of the time [after the race was stopped].
"I'm sure it would have been great for the spectators at home, to see real racing, to see cars fighting. Unfortunately we didn't restart and we had to settle for second.
"All I wanted was to go back racing. But I do understand there was a point it got too wet.
"Even 15, 20 minutes before they red-flagged the race I think cars were spinning on the straights. It got really crazy out there."
Reflecting on the Turn 1 mistake, Nasr added: "There was nothing I could do; I was the first car coming into Turn 1, and that was the moment the rain really poured down.
"I was just hoping they would restart the race, because the car was good enough to fight for victory.
"It was a real shame it ended this way."
Despite pre-race fears that the Cadillacs lacked the pace to fight the Acuras and Mazdas, the #31 AXR machine and the winning #10 WTR car ended up leading a combined 356 laps of the 593 that took place.
Nasr insists he went into the race confident of having the pace to challenge for victory based on his experience of the 'Roar' test at Daytona earlier in the month.
"It was like we expected, because even from testing in the beginning of January we were aware Acura and Mazda had better one-lap pace than us, which they confirmed in the race weekend," said Nasr.
"But you have to adjust your car into a race set-up that is able to be consistent and driveable in any conditions.
"We were pretty confident we had a good package going into the race, and we confirmed that.
"As soon as the race started, I felt like we had the upper hand over the longer stints."
Zanardi: Daytona 24 Hours debut more sweet than bitter despite issues
Daytona 24 Hours GTD runner-up given penalty and put to back
Williams: Vowles can help "finish off the journey" in F1 turnaround
Incoming Williams Formula 1 boss James Vowles can provide long-term stability and help "finish off the journey" in taking the team forward, according to sporting chief Sven Smeets.
WRC Rally Sweden: Everything you need to know
The World Rally Championship heads to the snow covered roads of Sweden for the second round of the season this weekend. Here's everything you need to know.
How the last Sauber-built Alfa offers F1 2023 evolution clues
Alfa Romeo has become the first Formula 1 team to reveal a new car for 2023, in addition to a fresh livery. This offered a first look at some of the understated changes produced by the revised regulations, along with points of convergence in the second year of the ground effect rules
Alfa Romeo hopes new C43 F1 car is "an all-rounder"
In 2023 the Alfa Romeo Formula 1 team starts a three-year transition to its new Audi identity, with just this season to be run in the colours of the Italian manufacturer.
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.