The #6 Porsche 963 of Kevin Estre, Matt Campbell, and Laurens Vanthoor finished second to the sister #7 car of Felipe Nasr, Julien Andlauer, and Laurin Heinrich.
With one hour and 12 minutes remaining, Nasr in the #7 conceded the lead to Estre in the #6 in a move reportedly orchestrated by the team.
As the final stanza race approached, commentators on the official IMSA broadcast suggested that Estre and Nasr had been given the call by Porsche Penske Motorsport to hold position.
However, with one hour and four minutes to go, Nasr retook the lead with a pass at the final turn after several laps of defence from Estre.
Speaking post-race in a tense press conference, Estre explained the incident at length.
“We were on similar strategies, we stopped pretty much at the same time, just at some points on different tyres,” said Estre.
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“We were back and forth but definitely at some point there was a call from a pit stand which was not respected on the other end.
“I was driving the car, respecting what we were saying, trying to optimise our strategy and trying to get to the end because we needed to save some fuel, so that’s what I did.
“But somehow Felipe did something else. That’s when the pass happened.”
Nasr skipped way from Estre in the closing 20 minutes of the race after a full course caution bunched the field up.
In the end, Nasr won by 1.515s while third place finishers Earl Bamber, Jack Aitken, and Frederik Vesti were 10 seconds away in the #31 Action Express Racing Cadillac.
“Towards the end he had the pace in clean air and he was fast enough that I couldn’t attack,” Estre said of Nasr.
“I would definitely have done it, but there was no opportunity. On pace, for sure towards the end they were there, but we had a brilliant race and we had a shot.
“Somehow, just one hour before the end, something happened that was not too fair from my side.
“That’s why we are all very frustrated and it’s not nice. But it’s the way it is.”
Estre explained that both cars had been told to conserve to the end of the race, as the team was aware the final leg could go green to the chequered flag.
“We had some calls from the pit stand and while driving you assume that both cars have the same call,” said Estre.
“I got confirmation that we had the same call, and Felipe decided to do something else that brought him the race. That’s it really.
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“I just respected what the team told me. It was not to play or anything; it was just to save fuel towards the end because we didn’t know the amount of yellow.
“In the end there was a lot of yellow, we didn’t need to pit again, otherwise we would have been tight on fuel.
“Felipe can say what he feels, I just know what I felt, what was the rule, what was the communication.
“It was clear on both sides from what I understood, but in the end it didn’t happen that way, so that’s the way it is.”
Nasr, meanwhile, did not confirm details of any team orders.
“There are going to be different versions, right? My version, the team’s version, the other driver’s version,” said Nasr.
“But I stand for what I’m here for. I signed up for this program because I believe I can win for the program and I can win for the team.
“I don’t think I have much to say honestly. I am here to win at the end of the day, and I won for the team. It’s a one-two in the end, a big points day for the whole organisation.”
The IMSA SportsCar Championship returns at the Grand Prix of Long Beach on April 18 with GTP and GTD in action.
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