Nasr: Heinrich’s Full Season “Great for the Competition”

Felipe Nasr says that Laurin Heinrich’s commitment to a full season in GTP and to a championship pursuit is what the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship needs “to fight the best people out there.”

Heinrich’s expanded role in both Porsche Penske Motorsport and JDC-Miller Motorsports means the German could claim an overall title on his own while racing with his own title competition. But Nasr says it’s a well-deserved opportunity for those racing in GTP.

“If I’m racing, I want to fight the best people out there,” Nasr told Sportscar365. “I think it’s great for the competition, it’s great for us drivers, and I had the pleasure to race with him in Daytona (and Sebring), and he did a phenomenal job for us.

“I like to see his evolution as a driver as well. His expectations at Daytona, you know what to do, how to drive the car, what should I do? I like his curiosity.

“He came over to me many times and asked what should [he] do at this time of the race.

“What it takes to be at the top in this series, it’s incredible. The level of racing that we have nowadays in IMSA, across the drivers, the teams, the manufacturers, is so high that it takes everything you have to do as a driver to get on top.”

Nasr said Heinrich’s day-to-day relationship with Porsche and the teams he drives for has translated to on-track success and a full season. The 24-year old has won three of the five rounds between the two outfits.

“I had the chance to work with him early in the season, pre-season testing, and I can tell the talent is there,” said Nasr. “He’s able to do great things in the car, but it’s more about how you take on every race.

“How you operate every race is different, right? Like Daytona to Sebring, it’s a different aspect, it’s a different way of racing, but he’s done a phenomenal job.”

Nasr is one of the drivers that can both win with or lose a title to Heinrich based on the season’s results with Heinrich’s dueling teams commitments.

The Brazilian and his season-long Porsche Penske co-driver Julien Andlauer currently sit third in the GTP point standings, ten points behind second-placed Heninrich, who is due to rejoin them in the factory No. 7 Porsche 963 for the season-ending, and likely title-deciding Motul Petit Le Mans in October.

Nasr believes those discussions, should the drivers be within a close title fight heading into the ten-hour enduro at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta, will be had closer to season’s end if the standings warrant them.

“I think that’s more to the management to decide, right?” he said. “That’s what I understand. It’s so unique, I think they’re also thinking what to do.

“They’ll be waiting to see the results for the next race. I haven’t really spoken to [Laurin] about it, but I know he’s a racer too, he knows how to race fairly between Porsche and that’s what we all are instructed to.”

Nasr’s relationship with Heinrich also marks another promising driver that he has watched go through the ranks of Porsche.

“I’ve been having a blast, honestly; I’ve been having a great time with them, and I’m very proud,” he said. “I made the decision to come on board the program at a very early time and be part of the development every time we had something to change or improve in the car.

“So, to me, that’s where I feel like the experience comes along. It’s not only about having a fast and reliable car, but how everybody operates and how we can get the best of each other on the track.

“I think that’s been the key as my role as a driver, not only to be fast and competitive, but how to guide them, how to say ‘this is what we need.’

“There’s a lot of things that I can overlook, not only being a driver and taking what it needs to be the best in the field, but also what puts the team on the most competitive level possible.”