Cadillac Racing had a rough go at the start of the 2025 Qatar 1812km, but rallied back to earn valuable points in the first FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) round of the season.
Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA fielded two Cadillac V-Series.R race cars for the opening FIA WEC race on February 28th, 2025. The No. 12 V-Series.R – shared between drivers Alex Lynn, Norman Nato and Will Stevens – finished eighth in the 10-hour race, while Earl Bamber, Sebastien Bourdais and Jenson Button piloted the No. 38 V-Series.R to a disappointing 16th-place result.
The trouble started when the two Cadillac Racing entries slammed into one another on a restart during Hour 3. The two race cars were running first and second at the time of impact, and throttle issues plagued the No. 38 V-Series.R for the rest of the day. Both entries also had to spend time in the pit lane to address damage and mechanical issues stemming from the crash, although the No. 12 V-Series.R was able to regain its lead-lap running position once repairs were made.
Had they not crashed, the twin Cadillac Racing V-Series.R entries would have paced the race, but they both showed excellent speed despite the damage dealt from the early crash. It wasn’t a bad first showing for Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA, either, all things considered.
“There are many positives, but to be totally honest you can’t override the bitter feeling of the day,” said Lynn after the race. “I have a huge amount of faith in JOTA having felt the car for the last 10 hours and knowing what we have capable of doing. Like all great sportsmen we need to pick ourselves up and carry on.”
Bamber echoed his teammate’s sentiments, saying, “We led the race, so that’s always a positive and we showed good pace here again at Qatar. Just a shame on our part with what happened and had another technical issue later on. Good the sister car managed to recover and score some points. Soon we have to have a nice streak. The car is quick.”
The No. 50 Ferrari AF Corse won the race. The 6 Hours of Imola on April 20th is next on the FIA WEC schedule.
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