The GTD class provided a thrilling finale at the 12 Hours of Sebring – Jack Hawksworth criticizes Philip Ellis’ maneuver, who defends himself
For once, the smallest class was in the spotlight: While GTP, LMP2 and GTD Pro no longer saw any decisive battles for victory in the final 30-minute sprint at the 2025 Sebring 12 Hours, the GTD was in for a real treat.
Philip Ellis caused a stir in the Winward-Mercedes 12 (Hawksworth/Thompson/Montecalvo) to secure the class victory.
The 2023 GTD champion lost momentum briefly when he was held up behind a Corvette. His 2024 successor seized the opportunity and launched an attack in Turn 5. In the process, the right front of the Mercedes touched the left rear of the Lexus, causing Hawksworth to drift slightly off the racing line and Ellis to pull ahead.
In Europe, this maneuver would probably have resulted in a penalty. In the USA, however, a “bump and run” is a legitimate maneuver as long as it doesn’t get out of hand. The incident was not even investigated, and Ellis went on to take the checkered flag with a lead of 3.265 seconds. Hawksworth finished second.
Unsurprisingly, Hawksworth is far from pleased: “I’m all for racing hard, but he just drove into the back of me and pushed me out of the way.”
]Incident at Sebring just payback
Ellis is understanding of Hawksworth’s reaction, but alludes to similar maneuvers by the Brit in the past: “I wouldn’t be happy either if I lost the race like that. I understand that he’s not thrilled.”
“But I just gave him what he gave me a few laps earlier in Turn 7. We all know Jack. I respect him a lot, but that’s how he drives. You reap what you sow.”
Ellis was largely responsible for Winward Racing’s repeat victory at Sebring. The Winward-Mercedes led the GTD class at the start of the race, but lost valuable time after a penalty. A crew member had worked on the car in violation of the rules during the pit stop, resulting in a drive-through penalty. This caused the team to fall far back.
“We had a pretty good lead when we got the penalty,” explains Ellis. “As a result, there were a few cars that overtook us, but then we went on the attack to get back to the front. The caution phases helped us a little bit, but we still had to work hard to get back up there.”
Team-mate Russell Ward sees the team’s consistency as the key to their success: “The secret lies in the preparation. Our team works day and night to get the car perfectly prepared.”
“The Mercedes is simply made for this track. It is gentle on the tires, heat-resistant and absolutely reliable. At the end of an endurance race, consistency is what counts most – and we were simply in the right place at the right time in the last two hours.”
