JOTA has had its first taste of Cadillac machinery, in a test at Paul Ricard on 10-12 December.
The British team will race two Cadillac V-Series.Rs in the FIA World Endurance Championship next year, with Will Stevens, Norman Nato, Jenson Button, Sebastien Bourdais, Alex Lynn and Earl Bamber behind the wheel of the two cars.
All six drivers were present in the south of France for the test, which JOTA and Cadillac say was a learning experience ahead of 2025. A single car was used at the test, a carry-over from 2024.
Phil Oakley
The team also has possession of two brand new Dallara chassis but, in cold damp conditions, the team didn't want to chance "wadding up a new chassis", a Cadillac spokesperson told The Racing Line.
There will be a further on track test at an unspecified circuit before the WEC prologue takes place in Qatar, which precedes the opening race of the year, the 1812km Qatar at Losail International Circuit in the Middle East.
See below for quotes from all six drivers, plus some early pictures from the test.
Earl Bamber
“I think JOTA is bringing a new energy to the Cadillac project. They have a lot of knowledge. They know how to win races so it’s great to see.
"We’d like another 10 days of testing before we get to Qatar, but we’re limited, so this is the first big block to gain information to then head over into the short Christmas break, do our homework and go to the next test.”
Sebastien Bourdais
“It was quite a good experience. We worked our way through a bunch of changes and I think we learned quite a bit together and ended up with a car feeling that was quite good despite some challenging conditions with very low temperatures.
"I think we have a really good group of people and I enjoyed working with the engineers, everybody within the team and the other drivers. It was productive. Quite excited to get going with Cadillac and JOTA. It’s going to be a fun year ahead.”
Jenson Button
“It’s been a great couple of days. I felt at home in the car, which is nice when you first drive out. The seat position is obviously different and what you see is different, the pedal feel and the steering feel, so it takes a minute.
But I feel comfortable in the car. It sounds lovely. There’s always a little giggle when it kicks in. At 44, I still get that. It’s nice to see how the team is working with the new car. We’re running so many tests for them to really understand the car. The car seems to listen to changes well. I’m looking forward to the season to start.”
Phil Oakley
Alex Lynn
“It’s been a cool start with JOTA. The team’s prestigiousness speaks for itself with what they’ve achieved. Us as drivers, having driven this car for the last two years, are excited to see what JOTA can do with this car, so the motivation is off the scale already with this team to succeed and do it very quickly as well.
"Having good experience with the car is obviously fundamental and hopefully fast-tracks our learning period with myself, Earl (Bamber) and Seb (Bourdais) coming through the car with a lot of knowledge.”
Norman Nato
“Feels nice to really have a first try of the car full push and start working on 2025 season. Plenty of things to try, understand with our new package and also collaborate with Cadillac people.
"Felt good in the car, noise of the engine is amazing. Had so much fun during this first day. We keep preparing for 2025.”
For Button, Nato and Stevens, this was their first chance to drive the V-Series.R. Images: JOTA/Cadillac
Will Stevens
“It’s nice to come to a track that as a team we’re more familiar with, so it’s good to start the learning process of getting to grips with the Cadillac here. Overall, we’re learning what the car needs and as a team operationally to start to work with the car and systems.
"You iron out the things you need to learn now before we get going next year. I think 2024 was a good learning year for everybody coming into 2025. We had a lot of potential. We definitely should have finished up higher in the championship than where we ended up, but it’s encouraging that we could fight with the manufacturers even as a privateer.
"I think it gives us a lot of confidence going into ‘25 with a manufacturer behind us in Cadillac. Obviously, the responsibilities and the program as a whole a much bigger now.
"We have a responsibility to develop the car, know the areas we need to work on to improve performance and carry on from where they were fast in ’24 and try to improve the package. I think all the ingredients are there between Cadillac and JOTA to have a very successful partnership.”
Bob Friend, JOTA team manager
“I think it’s been a good first test and the relationship with Cadillac and GM and Dallara has been really well.
"We’re learning each other’s’ language and getting over that first day at school stuff. The driver feedback sounds like it relates well to where the car is right now. It’s a new language of a car so there are a lot of things to learn.
"The reason we brought so many people to this test is so we learn it quickly and when we go to the next test it’s all muscle memory and we’ll get further down the road.
"This test, from my point of view, is about relationships and car understanding and how to put a time together with that car. The next step is two cars running at the same time for at least a bit, making sure that we don’t step on each other’s toes.”
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