Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA heads into its home FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) round at Circuit of The Americas (COTA) looking to build on a breakthrough result at São Paulo before the summer break.
The American manufacturer showed considerable speed throughout the opening stages of the 2026 season but struggled to consistently convert that potential into results. However, Cadillac finally returned to the WEC podium in Brazil as the No. 12 V-Series.R finished third and the sister No. 38 followed in fourth.
Cadillac now returns to home soil for the Lone Star Le Mans from 4–6 September, with both cars targeting another step forward. The No. 12 will feature a revised driver line-up as Ricky Taylor joins Will Stevens and Norman Nato, while Earl Bamber, Sébastien Bourdais and Jack Aitken continue together in the No. 38.
Cadillac looks to build on 2026 WEC São Paulo breakthrough at COTA
Cadillac established itself among the fastest Hypercar manufacturers during the opening rounds of 2026, although incidents and operational setbacks repeatedly prevented the team from turning its pace into podium finishes.
São Paulo finally changed that trend. Stevens placed the No. 12 on pole as Cadillac locked out the front row in Hyperpole, giving the team a significant opportunity to repeat its victory at Interlagos from the previous season. However, problems during the opening round of pit stops dropped both cars down the order and forced them to recover.
The No. 12 ultimately climbed back to third, finishing only 6.687 seconds behind the winning No. 15 BMW, while the No. 38 followed in fourth. Although the team missed an opportunity to convert its Qualifying dominance into victory, the double top-four represented Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA’s strongest overall result of the campaign and its first WEC podium for 12 months.
Nato now wants Cadillac to carry that progress into Austin, where he already has experience of standing on the top step.
“COTA is such a nice circuit to drive,” enthused Nato, as reported by FIAWEC.com, “and I’m pleased to have Ricky joining us. He has a lot of experience, he knows the car very well and he’s fresh from winning in IMSA, so I have no doubt he will be a great addition to the team. The main target continues to be to win races. We had a great result in Brazil and will be looking to build upon that after the summer break.”
The Frenchman won outright at COTA six years ago and will return with a Cadillac package that has already demonstrated strong one-lap and race pace during 2026.
Taylor joins Stevens and Nato in No. 12 Cadillac
The Lone Star Le Mans will also bring a change to the No. 12 line-up as Taylor makes his first start with Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA. The two-time IMSA champion joins Stevens and Nato while Alex Lynn continues recovering from surgery. Cadillac expects Lynn to return to the No. 12 for the Catalunya round in October, leaving Taylor to provide additional experience for the manufacturer’s home WEC race.
Taylor already knows Cadillac’s V-Series.R through his IMSA programme, reducing the amount of adaptation required when he joins the JOTA operation. His extensive experience of racing the car in North America also gives the team another driver familiar with the particular demands of COTA.
Stevens expects that familiarity to help Taylor settle into the programme quickly.
“I’m really looking forward to getting back to COTA, especially coming off a strong result in São Paulo,” echoed team-mate, Stevens. “It’s always special racing for Cadillac in the US, and hopefully, we can keep the momentum going. I’ve raced with Ricky many times in IMSA, so I’m sure he is going to fit in great with the team and will hit the ground running. Let’s have a good weekend!”
For Cadillac, Taylor’s arrival comes as the No. 12 attempts to build on its strongest race of the year. After leading from pole in Brazil and recovering from its early setback to finish third, the crew arrives in Texas with evidence that it can fight at the front over a complete WEC weekend.
COTA presents demanding tyre and set-up challenge
Circuit of The Americas will provide a very different test to the relatively compact Interlagos layout. The 5.513km circuit features 20 corners and combines the steep climb into Turn 1 with the rapid direction changes of the opening sector, slower technical sections and several heavy braking zones. The succession of corners places significant physical demands on the drivers while also requiring teams to carefully manage tyre degradation over a stint.
Conditions can further complicate the challenge. The 2025 Lone Star Le Mans featured heavy rain, but Austin regularly produces extremely high temperatures at this time of year. Teams must therefore prepare for a broad range of weather while finding a set-up capable of working across COTA’s varied corner profiles.
Cadillac showed encouraging pace at the venue in both wet and dry conditions last season, giving the team another reason for optimism as it approaches its home WEC appearance.
No. 38 Cadillac crew searches for first 2026 WEC podium at COTA
Bamber, Bourdais and Aitken will continue in the No. 38 as they attempt to convert their own speed into a first podium of the season. The trio contributed to Cadillac’s double top-four result at São Paulo by finishing fourth, only 12.666 seconds away from victory. The result provided another strong haul of Manufacturers’ Championship points and offered encouragement after an opening part of the season in which outright pace frequently exceeded the final results.
Bamber now wants the team to carry that form through the second half of the campaign.
“It’s been good to get a bit of a break and recharge the batteries,” reflected Bamber. “The team had a strong outing in Brazil, where we picked up a good haul of Manufacturer points. COTA was a wet-and-wild run last year, but in both the wet and dry, the car had good pace. I’m looking forward to going to Cadillac’s home race in FIA WEC and kicking off the second half of the calendar.”
The New Zealander also has previous success at COTA, while Bourdais brings extensive experience of racing in the United States. Aitken, meanwhile, will make his first competitive appearance at the Austin circuit despite having spent much of his recent career racing in North America.
The British driver arrives after demonstrating Cadillac’s potential at Le Mans, where he produced the fastest time during the Hyperpole session in June.
Bourdais prepared for unpredictable Austin conditions
Bourdais also believes Cadillac’s early-season performance provides a strong foundation for the remaining rounds. The Frenchman highlighted the need to turn that pace into more significant results, beginning with a circuit where changing grip levels and unpredictable weather can complicate preparation.
“We showed a lot of pace at the start of the season, including two strong results in Brazil,” added Bourdais. “The aim is now to build upon this momentum and deliver some more great results.
COTA’s surface can change considerably between visits, with bumps creating an additional variable for teams as they search for the best compromise between aerodynamic performance, mechanical grip and tyre management.
“COTA is a challenging track; it has a variety of different speeds and is bumpy in places. You never know how bumpy, or where the bumps will be until you get there as the track changes a lot year-on-year. Let’s see what the weather holds – it can be incredibly hot but there can also be torrential rain. No matter what the weather, the whole team is ready to push for a strong result!”
That uncertainty adds another layer to a weekend that already carries particular importance for Cadillac. The Lone Star Le Mans represents the manufacturer’s only home WEC round and arrives directly after the team finally converted its speed into a podium result.
Cadillac targets next step on home soil
São Paulo provided the result Cadillac had threatened to deliver throughout the opening stages of the season, but the team still wants more after missing out on victory despite locking out the front row.
The six-hour COTA race now provides an immediate opportunity to take the next step. Stevens and Nato will attempt to build on their Brazilian podium alongside Taylor, while Bamber, Bourdais and Aitken continue chasing their first top-three finish of 2026 in the sister car.
With Cadillac returning to home soil, the objective remains unchanged: convert the V-Series.R’s established pace into a race victory.
The Lone Star Le Mans takes place at Circuit of The Americas from 4–6 September, forming the fifth round of the 2026 FIA WEC season.
