April 19th, 2026 – Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA recorded an eighth place finish in the No.38 car, at the opening round of the 2026 FIA World Endurance Championship in Imola, picking up four Championship points. The No.12 car finished just outside the points in P13.
The No. 12 Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA V-Series.R, lined up on the grid for the six hour race in P5, with Will Stevens in the car for the first stint. The No.38 Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA V-Series.R, started in 13th position with Earl Bamber in the driving seat.
Both cars made a clean start. Will had a solid first stint, with strong and consistent pace, and by the two hour mark had advanced to P3. Despite also showing encouraging pace, Earl suffered with the traffic, and with overtaking tricky due to the track’s tight and twisty nature, remained in P13.
The team was able to maximise the strategy during the VSC and Safety Car period and execute a number of overtakes. By lap 72, the No.12 car was leading the race. Will however dropped down the pack to P14 after serving a drive through penalty for a technical infringement under yellow flag conditions.
With 90 minutes to go, the rain began to fall, but it wasn’t to last long enough to make a real impact for either car. Both cars continued to chip away at the pack and when the checkerd flag fell, the No.38 car crossed the finish line in P8, with the No.12 taking P13.
Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA heads to Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium for the next round of the WEC on May 9th.
What they’re saying
No. 38 Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA V-Series.R
Sebastien Bourdais: “We knew coming into this race it wasn’t going to be easy, especially starting from the back. The field is so competitive, passing here is extremely difficult, and we saw that throughout the race. Even Earl, who is usually very strong in traffic, was getting trapped behind cars and not able to make much headway.
So for us, the focus was simply on keeping going, executing cleanly and making sure we didn’t make mistakes. In a fairly straightforward race where nobody really drops off or retires, it’s hard to expect much more than P8 today. The field is so tight, everybody seems to have very similar pace and tyre degradation, so opportunities are limited. That’s why it’s also a huge shame for the sister car, because they looked very strong and were in real contention for a fantastic podium result.
For us, the important thing is that we keep learning with the new aero kit, keep understanding these new tyres, and continue dialling ourselves in. If we can start further up the grid, it looks like we may be able to hold our own and fight for podiums.”
No. 12 Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA V-Series.R
Will Stevens: “Obviously I’m frustrated with the penalty, because up to that point it had been a very positive race from our side. I felt like we put together three really strong stints, made good decisions throughout, executed some important overtakes, and worked our way to the front of the race.
That’s what makes it frustrating, but at the same time it gives us a lot of confidence. We’ve learned a huge amount this week, and to be competitive at a track like Imola, which we knew historically has been one of our weaker circuits, is a very positive sign for the rest of the year.”
Jeromy Moore, Chief Engineer Cadillac Racing: “We started the race strongly. The No.12 Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA V-Series.R climbed through the field to P1.
Unfortunately, the No.12 car received a drive through penalty for a yellow flag infringement which put us back significantly. The drizzle came out and the No.38 car could make some gains to P8, but there weren’t enough laps left to make any further progress.
Overall, there are strong signs and a lot of potential to take from the weekend. We’ve made a step forwards from last year and are confident heading into the next round at Spa to get a good result there.
High-res images for editorial use available here
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