Nasr seals full-time 2018 Action Express IMSA drive
Ex-Sauber Formula 1 driver Felipe Nasr will return to racing full-time in 2018 with the Action Express Racing IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship team.
Photo by: XPB Images
Nasr has been on the sidelines since losing his Sauber drive at the end of last season, and told Motorsport.com as recently as July he was actively working a return to F1.
However, the 25-year-old Brazilian conceded that a shortage of teams made a return to grand prix racing unlikely, resulting in him turning towards sportscar racing to further his career.
He will partner Eric Curran in Action Express's #31 Cadillac DPi-V.R next season, rekindling a partnership first formed when he made a one-off Daytona 24 Hours outing for the team in 2013.
Nasr replaces Penske-bound Dane Cameron in the #31 car, while former Audi factory driver Filipe Albuquerque steps in for Christian Fittipaldi as Joao Barbosa's full-season teammate in the sister #5 entry.
Fittipaldi will however remain on board for the four Tequila Patron North American Endurance Cup races, including the blue-riband Daytona, Sebring and Petit Le Mans events.
Toyota WEC regular Mike Conway will join Curran and Nasr for Daytona, Sebring and Petit Le Mans, reprising the third driver role he has performed for Action Express this season.
“As a team, the 2017 IMSA season has been a solid one, but we are all working hard to make 2018 an even better year,” said Action Express team manager Gary Nelson.
“We are happy to have Eric return in the Whelen Engineering [#31] Cadillac and to have Felipe come back to race with us for the full season.
"We have had the same driver line up for the Mustang Sampling [#5] Cadillac for the last two years, and that consistency will be an advantage.
"Christian, Filipe and Joao have all been racing with us but we are just changing the roles that each will have next year."
Be part of Motorsport community
Join the conversationShare Or Save This Story
Yamamoto 'never imagined' scoring podium on injury comeback in Super Formula
Pourchaire “worried” for Super Formula prospects after nightmare debut
How Cassidy emerged triumphant from "mayhem" in Portland FE slow-burner
Explained: The software fix that saved Porsche’s Daytona win
Nasr credits Penske for final pitstop, “confused” with timing of checkered flag
Why Penske remains ambitious for its WEC learning year
Sebring 12h: Derani claims pole to lead 1-2 for Cadillac
Blomqvist rues late caution for costing him another Daytona 24 win
How Derani's long road to title success exorcised painful memories
F1 teams and Pirelli had no warning of "painted" Shanghai track surface
Red Bull 2025 F1 driver decision will be made "much later in the year"
WRC Croatia: Neuville sets the pace to lead title rival Evans
Sainz will have to "survive with what we have" in China F1 sprint
How canny Porsche strategy snatched Daytona spoils from Cadillac
How a battle of two American titans will grip IMSA in 2024
How IMSA's GTP revival proved worthy of its name
How Porsche's Daytona hiccups evoked the premiere of its Group C king
Subscribe and access Motorsport.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.
Top Comments