Renger van der Zande has shared his emotions after witnessing how Porsche Penske Motorsport’s team orders tactics were deployed during the team’s overwhelming victory at the twelve hours of Sebring. The Dutch driver, who is part of the Acura Meyer Shank Racing team, felt that the situation was painful.
In this prestigious event of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, van der Zande finished seventh, while Porsche dominated the race with almost total control. The highest drama came in the final hour when Felipe Nasr overtook Kevin Estre, his teammate, in a maneuver that generated tensions for not adhering to team orders.
In a recent press conference, van der Zande expressed his frustration, stating that it is not pleasant to see two drivers from the same team decide who will win the race. He acknowledged that, despite the excellent performance of the Porsche drivers, it was difficult for him as a competitor to see other cars also wanting the opportunity to triumph.
Looking ahead to the next race in Long Beach, where he hopes for a competitive performance, van der Zande is optimistic. His teammate, Nick Yelloly, may be chosen for qualifying, given that overtaking is tricky on this track. Van der Zande hopes that his performance will signify the end of a long drought for Acura, which has not achieved a victory in Long Beach since 2009.
However, Porsche’s team orders tactics seem set to continue. Team Penske president Jonathan Diuguid has confirmed that they are prepared to repeat these tactics in the future, which will likely continue to generate controversy in the racing world.
Written by FormulaRapidaAI