Yahoo Autos Hertz Team JOTA Cadillac confirms 2025 WEC drivers
The full-season drivers for Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA’s new-look two-car FIA WEC Hypercar program with the V-Series.R in 2025 have been revealed. For the British team’s first season as Cadillac’s factory service provider — taking over from Chip Ganassi Racing — it will field a combination of returning drivers from its privateer program and longstanding Cadillac factory talent.
Earl Bamber and Alex Lynn stay on after competing together with Cadillac Racing in the FIA WEC during the 2023 and ’24 seasons. They will be joined by Sebastien Bourdais, who co-drove the No. 02 Cadillac V-Series.R in three WEC races this year alongside his commitments as a full-season IMSA GTP driver for the brand.
“Joining JOTA is going to be a great step for the Cadillac project,” said Bamber. “They have really proven what they can do with the Porsche and just early interactions with the team have been positive.
“With me doing both WEC and IMSA, hopefully, we can accelerate their learning process because we were quick with Chip Ganassi Racing the last few races of the ’24 season and hopefully we can transfer knowledge from that project and continue our strong showing at the end of the year and taking their knowledge from their project and combining all that into winning races in WEC in 2025.
“The continuity of Alex, Seb and myself having driven the cars for a couple of years in IMSA and WEC will really lead to a formidable line-up.”
Added Bourdais, who will also race in LMP2 with Tower Motorsports in IMSA next season: “JOTA has been a well-known and successful name in sports car racing in Europe for many years. The push that Cadillac is making with two cars and going with JOTA shows the commitment to endurance racing and being successful in WEC. We’re going to get to work quickly and there’s a continuity in the whole process.
“For me, it’s a known quantity with the car and the GM people, so it’s cool to be able to continue there. Hopefully, we’ll get a few things going our way quickly. We showed speed this season but not the results we wished we would have, so I’ll be working hard to get those. There are a lot of cross-experiences.”
They will be joined by three drivers from JOTA’s 2024 WEC stable — Will Stevens, Jenson Button and Norman Nato — who all drove with the team this year in Hypercar.
“I’m delighted to be continuing my journey with Hertz Team JOTA as they form their new partnership with such an iconic brand as Cadillac,” said F1 world champion Button. “Racing with JOTA this season has been such a privilege as they’re a team steeped in success in endurance racing and an operation I’ve long admired. Those achievements and hard work have now led to this exciting next chapter seeing them partner with Cadillac, a marque which has already impressed with what it has achieved to date in both WEC and IMSA.
“The driver line-up is pretty impressive. We bring our collective experience of working with the Cadillac platform and the experience of working with JOTA together. We have all the ingredients for a great season ahead.”
Stevens, who along with Lynn and Bamber will also compete with Cadillac in IMSA during 2025, reiterated his desire to stay with JOTA through its transition to a factory team.
“I’ve made no secret of my intention to be with JOTA for the long haul and to do this with Cadillac makes it even more special,” he said. “I’m proud to be part of JOTA’s journey over the years.
“We’ve gone from LMP2 through to Hypercar and now we’re moving onto a manufacturer program and to have been with the team from the start is a great feeling. The longevity of my relationship with JOTA has resulted in a strong relationship.
“I know the team so well and they know me. This definitely helps us from a performance perspective. JOTA and Cadillac are a great match, and I feel like we have all the ingredients to be successful next season and ultimately challenge for race wins.”
In summary, David Clark, director and co-founder, JOTA Sport, said he has zero doubt the team will “put on a good show” in 2025.
“It’s an honor for us to pair with such an iconic automotive manufacturer. When you consider our collective records in the FIA World Endurance Championship, it’s very fitting that for the inaugural Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA driver line-up we have such an impressive breadth of world championship-winning talent and experience.
“Cadillac’s pedigree in motorsport speaks for itself, and with these six drivers, we will be in a strong position to challenge for race wins.
“Under the careful watch of ACO (Automobile Club de l’Ouest) President Pierre Fillon, WEC continues to go from strength to strength, and with more eyes than ever before on our races, and some incredible talent behind the wheel, we have no doubt that we’ll put on a good show next season.”
JOTA’s transition to racing with Cadillac is well underway. The team will conduct a shakedown of its Dallara chassis next week at the Anneau du Rhin circuit in France ahead of a substantial test program over the winter.
All six drivers announced today will compete in the full 2025 FIA WEC season. The combinations for its No. 12 and No. 38 V-Series.Rs will be announced at a later date.
