Photo credit: Porsche
The 2025 Carrera Cup entry list will include three female drivers: returning veterans Sabré Cook and Madeline Stewart, alongside rookie Ashley Freiberg. The championship will commence with a doubleheader at Sebring International Raceway from March 12 to 14 in Sebring, Florida.
The Porsche Sprint Challenge season began at the same Sebring venue on the first weekend of March, featuring participants such as Therese Lahlouh, Loni Unser, Erika Hoffmann, and Anna Cecchi. Both Unser and Cecchi achieved podium finishes in their respective Cayman Pro-Am class races.
Since its inception in 2023, the Porsche Mobil 1 Female Driver program has aimed to foster female talent in motorsports by providing essential resources. This initiative covers 50 percent of entry fees throughout the season, and the top-finishing female driver at each round receives a complimentary set of Yokohama Tires for the next event, intended to alleviate financial pressures and promote competitive performance.
Cook remarked on her experience, stating, “I was very fortunate to work with Porsche Motorsport North America the very first season I entered into Carrera Cup, becoming the first member of the Female Driver program. It’s incredible that they have expanded that support every year to help more and more female drivers, and it’s great to see how many women are now in Porsche single-make championships here in North America.”
Photo credit: Porsche
Volker Holzmeyer, President and CEO of Porsche Motorsport North America, expressed satisfaction with the program’s continuation in 2025, noting the success reflected in the return of Cook and Stewart and the emergence of Freiberg. He extended best wishes to all seven participating female drivers for the season.
The Porsche Mobil 1 Female Driver initiative also offers specialized workshops for female drivers within the PMNA single-make program, providing training, education, and networking opportunities to enhance their careers. Freiberg commented, “The Porsche Mobil 1 Female Driver program is extremely helpful. Any amount of support, once you start adding it up, is very helpful. But to have big brands like Mobil 1 and Porsche and Yokohama come together to support female drivers is amazing on a lot of levels because I’m so passionate about also having more females in the series.”
All three female drivers participated in a series-wide pre-season test at Sebring in early March, leading up to the official season start within the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship paddock. The 2025 season will comprise eight rounds, each featuring doubleheader race weekends, including three events supporting the Formula 1 World Championship. The Porsche Sprint Challenge North America will conduct 14 races across seven rounds in 2025, featuring both the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup cars and the Porsche 718 Cayman Clubsport GT4 RS.
Stewart reflected on her involvement, stating, “Porsche is a world-renowned brand, so being a part of any program they have is really important. I feel very lucky to be a part of it and think it gets stronger every year and continues to develop. The support they give is a big contribution to what gets me on the grid, so I’m very grateful.” Both Cook and Stewart aim for improved performances this season following multiple top-10 finishes in the previous year, marking a significant step in the program’s objectives.
