Felipe Nasr Bio
Luiz Felipe de Oliveira Nasr, known professionally as Felipe Nasr, is a Brazilian racing driver who competes in the IMSA SportsCar Championship for Porsche Penske Motorsport. Born on 21 August 1992 in Brasília, Federal District, Brazil, Nasr is best known in North America for winning three IMSA SportsCar Championship titles and capturing the prestigious 24 Hours of Daytona and 12 Hours of Sebring. Before his sportscar career, Nasr spent two seasons racing in Formula One with Sauber in 2015 and 2016, scoring points in his very first Grand Prix in Australia. Now a Porsche factory driver, Nasr is one of the most successful Brazilian endurance racers of his generation.
Early Life and Background
Felipe Nasr was born and raised in Brasília, the capital of Brazil, where his Lebanese grandfather had settled after emigrating from the Middle East in the 1960s. Growing up in a country with a deep tradition of motorsport, Nasr was drawn to racing from an early age and began karting in Brazil when he was seven years old. Between 2000 and 2007, he built a strong foundation by winning several junior karting championship titles in his home country.
His family ties to motorsport run deep. Nasr is the nephew of Amir Nasr, a well-known team owner who runs one of the most successful South American Formula Three racing teams. Under the Amir Nasr Racing banner, several Brazilian drivers have graduated into international single-seater racing, including Hélio Castroneves, Bruno Junqueira, and Cristiano da Matta. Off the track, Nasr is multilingual and speaks Portuguese, English, and Italian fluently.
Path to NASCAR
Felipe Nasr’s professional path has followed international open-wheel and endurance racing rather than the NASCAR ladder system. After his karting years, he progressed into single-seater formulas in Europe, eventually reaching Formula One with Sauber in 2015. Following two seasons in F1, Nasr transitioned to sports car racing in the IMSA SportsCar Championship, where he has since become a multiple champion. While Nasr is not currently active in NASCAR, his career offers a clear example of how international drivers can build championship-caliber careers outside the NASCAR ladder.
Felipe Nasr Career
Early Career (2008–2011)
Nasr made his open-wheel debut at the 2008 Formula BMW Americas finale at Interlagos, where he secured a podium finish in his second race. The following year, he moved to the Formula BMW Europe championship with EuroInternational and dominated the series, winning six races and five pole positions on his way to the title by 104 points over teammate Daniel Juncadella.
He stepped up to the British Formula 3 Championship in 2010 with Räikkönen Robertson Racing and finished fifth overall. In 2011, he switched to Carlin Motorsport and claimed the British Formula 3 Championship crown, finishing 123 points ahead of his teammate Kevin Magnussen. That same year, he won the Sunoco Rolex 24 at Daytona Challenge, which earned him a drive in the 2012 Rolex 24 at Daytona, where he finished third overall.
GP2 Series Breakthrough (2012–2014)
Nasr entered the 2012 GP2 Series with DAMS, securing four podium finishes including a runner-up result at Spa-Francorchamps. He helped DAMS win the teams’ championship while finishing tenth in the drivers’ standings. Moving to Carlin in 2013, he finished fourth overall and established himself as a consistent front-runner.
The 2014 GP2 season was his breakthrough year. Remaining with Carlin, Nasr won four feature and sprint races, including victories at Barcelona, the Red Bull Ring, Silverstone, and Spa-Francorchamps. He battled Jolyon Palmer for the title but ultimately finished third, just five points behind Stoffel Vandoorne. That form earned him a role as Williams’ reserve driver for the 2014 Formula One season.
Formula One (2015–2016)
On 5 November 2014, Sauber announced that Nasr would join the team for the 2015 Formula One campaign. In his very first Grand Prix in Australia, he finished fifth, the highest placing for a Brazilian driver on F1 debut. He went on to score 27 points across the season, finishing thirteenth in the drivers’ championship, and Sauber retained him for 2016.
Nasr’s 2016 season was far more difficult, and his only points came at the Brazilian Grand Prix, where he finished ninth. That single result allowed Sauber to overtake Manor in the constructors’ standings, a swing that contributed to Manor’s eventual collapse and left Nasr without a drive for 2017.
Cadillac Factory Driver (2018–2021)
After a year on the sidelines, Nasr joined Whelen Engineering Racing in 2018, partnering Eric Curran in a Cadillac DPi-V.R. The pair won the 24 Hours of Daytona qualifying race, the 12 Hours of Sebring, and the North American Endurance Cup, then clinched the IMSA SportsCar Championship title at Road Atlanta. In 2019, he was paired with countryman Pipo Derani, won the 12 Hours of Sebring again, and added the Endurance Cup title at Petit Le Mans, narrowly missing the overall crown by five points.
In 2020, Nasr sat out the opening round after testing positive for COVID-19, but returned to win the 12 Hours of Sebring with Derani. The 2021 season brought his second IMSA title alongside Derani, sealed with a dramatic second-place finish at Long Beach and a tense battle with Ricky Taylor at the season finale. Across four seasons as a Cadillac factory driver, Nasr established himself as one of IMSA’s leading Prototype pilots.
Porsche Penske Factory Driver (2022–Present)
Named a Porsche factory driver in 2022, Nasr was announced as one of the first drivers for the new Porsche Penske Motorsport LMDh programme. That year, he also contested IMSA’s GTD Pro crown jewel events with Pfaff Motorsports and won the 24 Hours of Daytona class, finished fifth at Sebring, and took third at Petit Le Mans.
In 2023, Nasr partnered Matt Campbell in the new Porsche 963 and took a controlling victory at Road America on the way to fifth in the IMSA standings. In 2024, paired with Dane Cameron, he won the 24 Hours of Daytona overall and added a second win at Watkins Glen before clinching his third IMSA title and the Michelin Endurance Cup at Petit Le Mans. In 2025, Nasr returned to defend his crown, this time partnering Nick Tandy.
Driving Style and Strengths
Nasr is best known for his consistency, fuel-saving race craft, and sharp qualifying pace, with multiple pole positions in IMSA. His calm approach under pressure has produced several last-lap and final-stint passes, while his experience in Formula One gives him a disciplined feel for tire management and strategy. Working with co-drivers such as Pipo Derani and Dane Cameron, Nasr has built long-term partnerships built on trust and shared feedback.
Notable Races and Milestones
Signature moments include his fifth-place finish on his Formula One debut in Australia, the 2018 IMSA title-deciding run at Road Atlanta, back-to-back 12 Hours of Sebring wins in 2019 and 2025, and his overall victory in the 2024 24 Hours of Daytona. He has also stood on the podium at the Rolex 24, the Watkins Glen sprint, and Petit Le Mans, reinforcing his reputation as a top-tier endurance racer.
Felipe Nasr Career Wins
Felipe Nasr’s career is highlighted by three IMSA SportsCar Championship titles, won in 2018, 2021, and 2024. He has added two 24 Hours of Daytona wins, in 2024 and 2025, and two 12 Hours of Sebring wins, in 2019 and 2025, along with two North American Endurance Cup titles and one Michelin Endurance Cup.
IMSA SportsCar Championship Highlights
Nasr’s first IMSA title came in 2018 with Eric Curran at Whelen Engineering Racing. His second came in 2021 alongside Pipo Derani, sealed with a hard-fought Long Beach weekend and a tense battle at the finale. His most recent title arrived in 2024 with Dane Cameron, highlighted by overall wins at the 24 Hours of Daytona and Watkins Glen and a decisive run to the championship at Petit Le Mans. His IMSA career totals include more than a dozen race wins and many podiums across the Prototype ranks.
Other Wins and Performances
Beyond IMSA, Nasr has recorded class wins at the 24 Hours of Daytona in 2022 with Pfaff Motorsports, and he has stood on the podium at the 12 Hours of Sebring in multiple seasons. Earlier in his career, he won the 2009 Formula BMW Europe title, the 2011 British Formula 3 Championship, and four GP2 Series races in 2014.
Felipe Nasr Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Nasr’s family has deep roots in Brazilian motorsport. His uncle, Amir Nasr, owns one of South America’s most successful Formula Three teams and has guided drivers such as Hélio Castroneves, Bruno Junqueira, and Cristiano da Matta into international racing. Nasr’s grandfather emigrated from Lebanon to Brazil in the 1960s, giving the family a multicultural background that has shaped Felipe’s global racing career.
Personal Life
Nasr is multilingual and speaks Portuguese, English, and Italian. He lists his hobbies as sports, fishing, and mechanics, and counts Ayrton Senna as his favorite driver and Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps as his favorite circuit. Outside of racing, he enjoys films from the Star Wars and James Bond series and follows music by Johnny Cash, Bob Dylan, and Dire Straits.
2025 Season Performance
The 2025 IMSA SportsCar Championship is a title defense campaign for Felipe Nasr, who returned to Porsche Penske Motorsport alongside new co-driver Nick Tandy. The season opened with a strong statement at the 24 Hours of Daytona, where the pair delivered Nasr his second consecutive overall victory at the iconic Florida race. The result extended Porsche’s momentum from the 2024 championship run and immediately put the #7 crew back into title contention.
At the 12 Hours of Sebring, Nasr and Tandy added another major endurance crown jewel to their résumé, marking Nasr’s third Sebring win overall and reinforcing his status as one of the top Prototype drivers in the championship. Consistency through the sprint rounds has kept the #7 Porsche in the playoff mix, with podium finishes at key tracks across the calendar.
With the support of the Porsche Penske engineering group and the experience of co-driver Nick Tandy, Nasr enters the closing rounds of 2025 as a serious contender for a fourth IMSA championship. If the season ends with another title, it would further cement his place among the most successful Brazilian endurance racers in history.