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Porsche boss Laudenbach says he is "not happy" with how things were handled by IMSA in 2026

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Thomas Laudenbach reflects on challenging 2026 IMSA campaign, but also reminds everyone of the bigger picture

Porsche motorsport boss Thomas Laudenbach has expressed his dissatisfaction with how “things were handled” in the 2026 IMSA season.

While not allowed to talk about Balance of Performance (BoP) directly, it is obvious he is talking about the BoP under which the Porsche Penske Motorsport-entered 2026-spec 963s had to run over the course of the season following the double wins by Felipe Nasr, Julien Andlauer and Laurin Heinrich in the Rolex 24 and Sebring 12 Hour races.

Following those victories, subsequent Balance of Performance adjustments placed significant hurdles in front of the Porsche 963, including a maximum weight of 1,100 kilograms for both Long Beach and Detroit, and running with the worst power-to-weight ratio of all GTP cars for the most part of the season. Outright victories remained out of reach for the factory team between Long Beach and Indianapolis.

"If I have to summarize, I am extremely happy with the start of the season, obviously with Daytona and Sebring, no question," Laudenbach told Motorsport.com.

"After that, it was really difficult for us to fight for victories. So, yes, I am not 100 percent happy with the rest of the season. I am not saying we always did a perfect job, but I think the boundary conditions we were given were not the best ones."

"Am I happy with everything and how it was handled this year? No! But let us be fair, this is not an easy job."

Despite the frustration over the regulatory parameters, Laudenbach emphasized the importance of maintaining perspective on Porsche’s broader accomplishments in the GTP class since its debut.

"Obviously, when you are in that situation at the racetrack, it becomes emotional. But if you take five steps back and look at the last three years, we have been incredibly successful," he said.

"In '24 and '25, we won every title you can win. This year was more difficult, but we still had the potential for the Endurance Cup in all three categories. All in all, I think we can be really happy and proud of what we have achieved."

The IMSA Dilemma No One Wants to Talk About

"We are in a close relationship with IMSA. We talk to them on a regular basis, and sometimes you have to say: 'Okay, this is what it is.' We make the best out of what we have been given, and then we look forward. That is basically the situation we are in," Laudenbach continued.

By pointing towards earlier successes, Laudenbach acknowledged that IMSA was facing an uneasy situation following Porsche's two wins at Daytona and Sebring, with a third dominating campaign of Porsche Penske Motorsport being potentially damaging to the sport itself.

On the other side of the Atlantic, ACO was facing a similar problem after three Ferrari victories in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. While the French turned to drastic measures by keeping the BoP completely secret, it was obvious to see for everyone that the Ferrari 499Ps were left without any chance of winning the race for a fourth time.

Paying the price for two very successful seasons and watching Cadillac's Jack Aitken securing the GTP drivers' championship by taking the green flag at Road Atlanta, Porsche Penske Motorsport focused its efforts on maximizing its remaining opportunities in the season finale.

All goals were achieved when Kevin Estre, Laurens Vanthoor and Matt Campbell won the final race, completing the hat-trick of victories for Porsche Penske Motorsport at the three flagship events, and Laurin Heinrich was crowned Endurance Cup champion midway through the race.