- Lights-to-flag victory for the German in Imola
- Ariel Levi and Kas Haverkort finish first race of 2025 on the podium
- Flynt Schuring wins the rookie category; Janne Stiak in second
Porsche Junior Theo Oeverhaus has won the opening round of the 2025 Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup in Imola. After an action-packed race at the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari, where the first Supercup race in history was contested in 1993, the young German clinched victory ahead of Israeli Ariel Levi and Dutchman Kas Haverkort.
A dramatic mass collision shortly after the start eliminated nine cars, including the 911 GT3 Cup of the second Porsche Junior, Alessandro Ghiretti.Theo Oeverhaus marked his debut as a Porsche Junior in the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup with a victory – an achievement previously matched only by Earl Bamber in 2014 at Barcelona.
At the 2025 season opener in Imola, the 20-year-old from Germany dominated from pole position to take a commanding lights-to-flag win for the Proton Huber Competition team. It also marked the first Supercup race victory by a German driver since Laurin Heinrich’s triumph at Silverstone in 2022.
After the race, Oeverhaus was ecstatic about his achievement: “I could not have wished for a better start to the season. I got off the line well and managed to maintain control at the front. I knew that if I stayed consistent and drove a flawless race, it’d be difficult for anyone to overtake me on this circuit. After a mediocre season last year, to win my first Supercup race as a Porsche Junior here is truly a dream come true.”
Ariel Levi remained a constant threat throughout the race, closely trailing Porsche Junior Oeverhaus on the 4.909-kilometre Grand Prix circuit at Imola. The GP Elite driver, however, was unable to find an opening to overtake the leader. Nevertheless, Levi celebrated a significant milestone as the first Israeli to finish on the Porsche Supercup podium.
“That was definitely the best top-three result of my career. I pushed hard throughout the entire race because I was determined to achieve the first Supercup victory for a driver from my country. But since Theo didn’t make any mistakes, I’ll just have to wait for another race to achieve that goal.” Third place went to Levi’s GP Elite teammate, Dutch driver Kas Haverkort: “I was on the pace, but it wasn’t quite enough to get past Ariel. Still, it was important to start the season in the points and build confidence for the races ahead.”
In fifth place overall, Flynt Schuring from the Netherlands emerged as the best-placed rookie behind South African Keagan Masters (Ombra Racing). Schuring, who drives for Schumacher CLRT, stated: “The race went really well. I managed to overtake Marvin Klein right at the start and escape the chaos that unfolded shortly after. Unfortunately, I later damaged the front splitter on my car, which made things more difficult. Although I eventually lost a position to Keagan, I’m very pleased to come away as the top rookie.”
Second place in the Supercup rookie classification went to Janne Stiak of Team Target. The German finished ninth overall. At 18, the youngest driver in the field had been running fourth at one point but lost several positions after a trip into the gravel trap. The third-best rookie was the Italian Pietro Delli Guanti (Dinamic Motorsport).
Race red-flagged after the first lap
The season-opening race began with high drama. Originally scheduled for 15 laps, the race was interrupted by a major incident on the opening lap after a collision between Alexander Tauscher (GER/Team Target) and Marvin Klein (FRA/BWT Lechner Racing) at the Tamburello chicane which triggered a multi-car crash eliminating seven other competitors. Among the retirements was the 911 GT3 Cup of Frenchman Alessandro Ghiretti, the second Porsche Junior on the grid. The race was red-flagged for approximately 20 minutes to allow for the recovery of the stricken vehicles. As a result, the race distance was shortened to 12 laps.
BWT Lechner Racing team boss Robert Lechner saw the cars of both Marvin Klein and Robert de Haan taken out in the opening-lap crash. Despite the disappointment, Lechner remained composed: “Imola is an old-school track with gravel traps and a combination of corners after the start. You need strong qualifying positions to control your fate, and we didn’t quite get that with fourth and seventh on the grid. It’s unfortunate both cars were affected, especially with Monaco coming up so soon.”
Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup Project Manager Oliver Schwab reflected on the race with mixed feelings: “First and foremost, I want to congratulate our Porsche Junior, Theo Oeverhaus, on a flawless weekend. He totally deserved this victory. I’m also delighted to see Ariel Levi achieve the first Supercup podium, and another impressive performance by Kas Haverkort. Flynt Schuring’s fifth place and rookie classification win were also highlights. Of course, seeing nine cars retire right after the start is never ideal, but incidents like this can happen in motorsport.”
Three races in three weeks
The Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup continues its high pace with three races in as many weeks. Round two will be held this weekend on the 3.337-kilometre street circuit of Monaco, as part of the Formula 1 Grand Prix support programme. The 375 kW (510 PS) Porsche 911 GT3 Cup cars will contest a 17-lap sprint race in the principality on the Côte d’Azur on Sunday at noon. Just one week later, the Supercup field will head to Spain for round three at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.
Race result, round 1 Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup, Imola (Italy)
1. Porsche-Junior Theo Oeverhaus (DEU/Proton Huber Competition)
12 laps in 21.52.936 min (= 160.930 km/h)
2. Ariel Levi (ISR/Team GP Elite), 2.324 seconds behind
3. Kas Haverkort (NLD/Team GP Elite), 3.227 seconds behind
4. Keagan Masters (ZAF/Ombra Racing), 5.094 seconds behind
5. Flynt Schuring (NLD/Schumacher CLRT), 6.451 seconds behind
6. Huub van Eijndhoven (NLD/Team GP Elite), 6.793 seconds behind
Points standings Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup after 1 of 8 races
1. Porsche-Junior Theo Oeverhaus (DEU/Proton Huber Competition), 25 points
2. Ariel Levi (ISR/Team GP Elite), 20 points
3. Kas Haverkort (NLD/Team GP Elite), 17 points
