As the GTP class enters its third year, the premier category of the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship is stronger than ever. Acura, BMW, Cadillac, Lamborghini, and Porsche will return to the grid in 2025, joined by the new Heart of Racing-run Aston Martin Valkyrie AMR-LMH, bringing the number of participating manufacturers to six. Across these six manufacturers, there are 13 cars confirmed for at least the Michelin Endurance Cup, creating a minimum of 39 driver seats - three per car - for the GTP drivers' championship. While several drivers have been announced, many seats remain open. Let's go through each team and predict who will be driving in IMSA GTP in 2025.
Cadillac Wayne Taylor Racing
Starting with the team that has already finalised its plans for 2025, Wayne Taylor Racing will see major changes in its cars but consistency among its full-season drivers. Filipe Albuquerque and Ricky Taylor will return in the #10, and Louis Delétraz and Jordan Taylor will continue in the #40. However, there are changes for the endurance rounds: Will Stevens will replace Brendan Hartley in the #10 V-Series.R for longer races like Daytona, Sebring, and Petit Le Mans, as Hartley scales back to focus on his duties with Toyota in the WEC. In the #40, Cadillac factory driver Alex Lynn will join for endurance rounds, and in a surprising announcement, Toyota veteran Kamui Kobayashi will return to Daytona in January after a two-year absence, joining Delétraz, Taylor, and Lynn.
Cadillac Whelen (Action Express Racing)
With Pipo Derani leaving after Petit Le Mans, AXR faced the challenge of replacing a key driver. Fortunately, they have already confirmed their 2025 lineup: British-Korean driver Jack Aitken returns after a successful 2024 season, joined by Cadillac factory driver Earl Bamber. This duo will be strengthened for endurance rounds by Frederik Vesti, the 2023 Formula 2 runner-up, who brings promising pace to his rookie year in the Cadillac V-Series.R.
Porsche Penske Motorsport
Porsche Penske Motorsport has made substantial lineup changes for 2025. In the #6, Mathieu Jaminet remains, now paired with Matt Campbell, the former endurance driver for the 2024 championship-winning #7. Kévin Estre will join them for the Endurance rounds, reprising his role from 2024. Meanwhile, in the #7, Felipe Nasr retains his seat, and Nick Tandy - formerly of the #6 - takes over as his full-season teammate. Laurens Vanthoor will join for endurance rounds, creating a strong lineup that may help the #7 defend its title. Although Penske could add fourth drivers for Daytona, with Josef Newgarden and António Félix da Costa as top candidates, it’s doubtful due to recent downsizing in the WEC driver lineup.
Meyer Shank Racing with Curb-Agajanian
For Meyer Shank Racing’s Acura entries, only the full-season drivers have been confirmed so far. The #60 will return after a year’s hiatus with Tom Blomqvist and Colin Braun, the same drivers who showed impressive speed in 2023 despite a penalty for a tire pressure violation at the Daytona 24. For the #93, MSR has been active in securing talent: Renger van der Zande, who performed well with Chip Ganassi Cadillac, joins Acura alongside former BMW factory driver Nick Yelloly. However, endurance lineups for these entries are yet to be announced. The #60 could see the return of Hélio Castroneves, who ran Daytona, Sebring, and Petit Le Mans with Blomqvist and Braun in 2023. If Simon Pagenaud, the Daytona-only driver in 2023, is unable to race due to lingering injuries from a 2022 IndyCar crash, MSR may turn to Felix Rosenqvist for the #60 at Daytona. Logan Sargeant has also tested for the team, and may be open to a Daytona drive as he pivots his career away from Formula 1. For the #93, HRC-affiliated endurance drivers are likely, with Japanese star Kakunoshin Ohta, who is set to test the ARX-06, as a top choice. For a Daytona-only driver, either a Japanese series driver or an HRC-powered IndyCar driver seems likely.
BMW M Team RLL
BMW, the last of the two-car teams, has not yet confirmed its 2025 driver lineup but has plenty of talent to draw from among its 23 factory drivers. For the #24, Philipp Eng is expected to stay, though his 2024 teammate, Jesse Krohn, may shift to an endurance-only role. Dries Vanthoor is a strong candidate to join Eng full-time, running a dual IMSA and WEC campaign. In the #25, Connor de Phillippi will likely stay, while Marco Wittmann or Raffaele Marciello could potentially join, also in a dual role. Another possibility is Neil Verhagen, moving up from a GTD Pro seat. For Daytona 24, wild cards like Valentino Rossi (who has shown interest in the M Hybrid V8), or RLL’s IndyCar drivers, such as Pietro Fittipaldi, Christian Lundgaard, and Louis Foster, may feature.
Lamborghini - Iron Lynx
Despite some tension in the relationship, Lamborghini and Iron Lynx intend to race at least the endurance cup together in 2025. Likely drivers include Romain Grosjean, who raced with Iron Lynx and Lamborghini last season, and Mirko Bortolotti. Edoardo Mortara may step back from the endurance calendar to focus on Formula E, so the final seat could go to Jordan Pepper, who tested the SC63 at Le Mans earlier this year.
Aston Martin Heart of Racing Team
The newest addition, Aston Martin’s partnership with Heart of Racing, has yet to announce any drivers for 2025, but early indicators suggest Harry Tincknell and Mario Farnbacher, both heavily involved in testing the Valkyrie AMR-LMH, will be core drivers. Rounding out the lineup would likely be another two Aston Martin or HoR drivers, such as Alex Riberas, Roman De Angelis or Ross Gunn.
Proton Competition
Proton Competition stabilised its lineup toward the end of 2024, with Giammaria Bruni and Bent Viscaal as full-season drivers. They are expected to continue in 2025, with Alessio Picariello likely returning for endurance rounds. Neel Jani is a probable addition for Daytona.
JDC-Miller MotorSports
Finally, the “banana boat,” as the team’s bright yellow 963 is affectionately known, had a low-profile 2024 season. Tijmen van der Helm is expected to continue full-time, with Richard Westbrook’s retirement leaving an open seat. André Lotterer, experienced with 963s, may join JDC for a full season. For endurance rounds, they may bring back Tristan Vautier, who previously raced in DPi and Hypercars. Lastly, Ben Keating could return for another Daytona-only outing.