Cadillac and JOTA ‘learning each other’s language’

Earl Bamber, Sébastien Bourdais, Jenson Button, Alex Lynn, Norman Nato and Will Stevens all took to the track in the purpose-built Cadillac V-Series.R at Paul Ricard in southern France in December during the course of a three-day test. There will be an additional outing ahead of next month’s ‘Prologue’ and Qatar 1812km season curtain-raiser, but Friend says the early signs are already encouraging.

“I think it was a good first test, and the relationship is going really well – we’re learning each other’s language and getting over that ‘first day at school’ stuff,” he revealed. “The driver feedback sounds like it relates well to where the car is right now. There are a lot of things to learn, and the reason we took so many people to the test is so we learn quickly and when we go to the next test, it’s all muscle memory and we’ll get further down the road.

“The first test, from my point-of-view, was about relationships and car understanding and how to put a time together with it. The next step is two cars running at the same time, making sure we don’t step on each other’s toes.”

“It was a great few days,” echoed 2009 Formula 1 World Champion, Button, who piloted a Porsche last year during his maiden campaign in FIA WEC’s headlining Hypercar category. “I felt at home in the car, which is nice when you first drive out. The seat position, pedal feel and steering feel are obviously different, so it takes a minute, but I felt comfortable.

“[The Cadillac] 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 car, and it seems to respond well to changes. I’m looking forward to the season start.”

Indeed, Button and 2024 stablemates Nato and Stevens were impressed with the distinctive roar of the V-Series.R’s 5.5-litre V8 powerplant, with the Frenchman opining that ‘the noise of the engine is amazing’. All six of the team’s drivers have a background with either Cadillac or JOTA, and the latter’s director and co-founder, David Clark, hopes that continuity and combined experience will enable the squad to get quickly up-to-speed and hit the ground running in Qatar.

“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,” he reflected.

“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, FIA 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 we’ll put on a good show.”