WEC Season Preview: Cadillac
- Ghazlan Atqiya Firmansyah
- 2 hours ago
- 4 min read
After taking Cadillac's first FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) victory last season, the American manufacturer and JOTA eye a finish on the championship podium in 2026 with an updated V-Series.R.
2025 season summary
Cadillac was eager to bounce back from a disappointing 2024 season that saw it finish seventh in the Hypercar World Endurance Manufacturers' Championship. It failed to finish on the podium that year and was often been criticised for its lack of consistency.
It was eventually decided that Cadillac would end its partnership with Chip Ganassi Racing (CGR) by the season's end. The GM-owned brand then announced that British-based side JOTA Sport has been selected as the factory team for its two-car entry for 2025.
Cadillac JOTA started the season with a "nightmare" in Qatar. A misunderstanding between Alex Lynn (No.12) and Jenson Button (No.38) during a Virtual Safety Car (VSC) restart caused both cars to collide whilst running first and second. The former car would finish the race in eighth, while the latter suffered more extensive damage and finished in 16th.
The 6 Hours of Imola round was no less unforgiving. After the No.12 car crashed heavily in FP3, the team performed a miraculous repair to get the car to qualifying. The race was something to forget as the No.38 car had a difficult race and once again finished 16th. The No.12 car was penalised during the early stages before it fought back to finish 10th.
Cadillac finally broke the infamous "Spa Curse" with the No.12 and the No.38 car finishing fifth and sixth, respectively. This was a breath of fresh air as the manufacturer had been involved in a series of high-speed race-ending incidents in the previous years. Coincidentally, this was the place where JOTA took their first Hypercar victory in 2024 with Porsche.
In Le Mans, Cadillac took its first WEC pole position, and both cars finished in the top 10, with the No.12 car just shy of a podium finish. However, Wayne Taylor Racing (WTR) and Action Express Racing (AXR), the invited Cadillac teams from IMSA, retired from the race.
In São Paulo, Cadillac finally sealed its first WEC victory and did so in a fashionable manner after taking pole position and securing a 1–2 finish.
However, Cadillac was unable to mount consistent podium challenges in the final rounds, allowing Toyota to sprint past them and Porsche with a 1–2 finish in Bahrain, as the Kent-based side settled for fourth in the Manufacturers' World Championship.
What's new for Cadillac in the 2026 WEC?
The car
Cadillac is set to take on the 2026 WEC season with a major aerodynamic upgrade. JOTA Co-Founder and Director, Sam Hignett, revealed that "literally only the monocoque remains." The enhancements were done to increase efficiency, drivability and raceability.
The car retained the Cadillac production design elements. Visible changes include the removal of front dive planes and winglets, and re-shaping the rear wing profile.
The updated V-Series.R already debuted in IMSA's 24 Hours of Daytona with WTR and AXR, where the latter team was shown to be able to contend for victory before ultimately settling for second behind Porsche Penske's 963.
Hignett added: "There’s been a huge amount of work getting used to the new Michelin tyre that all Hypercars will run in 2026, and that’s where the cohesive relationship between us, Wayne Taylor Racing and Action Express Racing [in IMSA] is so valuable.
"Those guys will have done Daytona and Sebring before we even turn up in Qatar [Imola], so we can learn from what they’ve learnt with the tyre and their understanding of how to get the best out of it."
The personnel
The No.12 car has its line-up intact with the trio of Lynn, Norman Nato and Will Stevens returning for the 2026 season.
As one of the standout performers from last year, Lynn said there have been so many mentality shifts, and now the crew are dreaming of winning Le Mans and the championship.
"It was such a good start to the programme with JOTA last year, more so than I had anticipated.
"From that starting-point to now, we can really begin to dream of it all. Before, to dream of winning just one race was quite a big thing. Now, we go into every weekend thinking we can win. That’s a very big mentality shift.
"Ultimately, the proof will be in the pudding, but that’s why we’re all here and why we all work so hard: to try to win Le Mans and try to win the World Championship. That’s the goal."
AXR full-timer Jack Aitken will be making his WEC debut, replacing the retired Jenson Button in the No.38 car. He is reunited with co-driver Earl Bamber, and Sébastien Bourdais.
The addition of the 30-year-old provides extra muscle for the No.38 car, with the experience and pace he brings to this side of the garage.
"I am very appreciative that Cadillac has that trust and are willing to give me the opportunity.
"It’s very exciting for me personally because I’ve never raced in the WEC and I’ve never raced with JOTA, even though we’ve come close a couple of times and have had a relationship that is now coming to fruition.
"They have fantastic people, from the drivers to the staff, and it’s a team that has had success in WEC.
"I’m excited to try to take what I’ve learned in IMSA at Action Express and bring that across to try to push things forward. I’m excited to start the year and to double up on my time in the Cadillac V-Series.R."
However, shortly before the season opener, JOTA released a statement that Lynn will not be joining his co-drivers due to a planned procedure for an ongoing neck issue.
"The decision has now been taken to address the issue ahead of the start of the season with a minor procedure to ensure that he is in the best possible shape for the rest of the year."
Cadillac and JOTA have the tools to succeed this season. With an updated car, a stable No.12 line-up and the addition of an experienced driver to the No.38 side, can they finally achieve consistency and contend for the championship in 2026?
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