12 STEVENS Will (gbr), NATO Norman (fra), LYNN Alex (gbr), Cadillac Hertz Team Jota, Cadillac V-Series.R, #12, Hypercar, action, 38 BAMBER Earl (nzl), BOURDAIS Sébastien (fra), BUTTON Jenson (gbr), Cadillac Hertz Team Jota, Cadillac V-Series.R, #38, Hypercar, action, 15 VANTHOOR Dries (bel), MARCIELLO Raffaele (sui), MAGNUSSEN Kevin (den), BMW M Team WRT, BMW M Hybrid V8, #15, Hypercar, action start of the race, depart, during the 24 Hours of Le Mans 2025, 4th round of the 2025 FIA World Endurance Championship, on June 14, 2025 on the Circuit des 24 Heures du Mans in Le Mans, France - Photo Javier Jimenez / DPPI
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WEC News: Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA: Wrapping Up a Breakthrough 2025 and Looking Ahead to 2026

Posted by AR1 staff

What a rookie year it turned out to be. In their very first season as a full factory effort with J, Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA grabbed Cadillac’s first-ever WEC win, stuck the car on pole at Le Mans (the first American manufacturer to do that since 1967), and locked out the front row three separate times. Not bad for a brand-new partnership.

Keely Bosn, Cadillac Racing’s program manager, summed it up pretty well:
“This season has been a wild ride with JOTA. We learned a ton, the collaboration has been fantastic, and honestly we’re buzzing to keep this going into next year.”

Alex Lynn puts the #12 JOTA Cadillac on pole
Alex Lynn puts the #12 JOTA Cadillac on pole

The big moments from 2025

– First WEC win in Brazil (No. 12 car, 1-2 finish no less)
– Pole at Le Mans + two more front-row lockouts during the year
– The No. 12 car was the only entry across Hypercar and LMGT3 to score points in every single round
– Top-10 qualifying in seven out of eight races
– Finished the year just one point shy of fourth in the drivers’ standings
– Hit the 50-race milestone for the V-Series.R platform at Bahrain

Sam Hignett from JOTA nailed it:
“Some massive highs — front row at Le Mans, that 1-2 in Brazil — and the fact the 12 car scored every weekend is something everyone at both Cadillac and JOTA should be proud of. Solid first year, really strong base to build on.”

Same core group, one fresh face for 2026

Pretty much the whole band is staying together, which everyone agrees is the best part heading into next season.

No. 12: Alex Lynn · Norman Nato · Will Stevens
No. 38: Jack Aitken (new addition, fresh off the IMSA endurance title) · Earl Bamber · Sébastien Bourdais

Bamber, Bourdais and Lynn have now been with the Cadillac hypercar/GTP program since day one—that kind of continuity is gold.

Will Stevens reflected after Bahrain:
“Positive season overall. Yeah, there were a couple of races where we left points on the table that we should’ve had, but for a brand-new Cadillac-JOTA combo it was honestly impressive. Plenty to take away, a few clear areas to sharpen up, and I’m excited to get those sorted over the winter.”

Evo updates are coming

Cadillac is jumping on the same aero-homologation window as the other manufacturers. The main visible changes are no more front dive planes or winglets, and a tweaked rear-wing profile. The styling still screams V-Series though—they didn’t throw the baby out with the bathwater.

The new package just had its first proper shakedown at the IMSA test at Daytona last week (Nov 14-15). Aitken, Bamber and Stevens all turned laps on it along with the factory IMSA cars, racking up almost 1,000 laps on Michelin’s new endurance tire in the process.

Early verdict from Stevens:
“Two good days—checked a lot of boxes in different conditions. Nothing feels scary with the new aero; first impressions are positive.”

Roll on 2026. The season kicks off with a 10-hour race in Qatar on March 28. Same team, more experience, a few tweaks under the skin—everyone involved seems genuinely pumped to go again.