Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA qualifies fifth, 14th entering WEC season finale
SAKHIR, Bahrain (November 7, 2025) – Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA enters the final round of the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) confident of challenging for its second victory and secure in the knowledge of recording the best season-long finishes for the Cadillac program.
The Bapco Energies 8 Hours of Bahrain on November 8 will mark the 50th race (23 WEC, 27 IMSA) for the Cadillac V-Series.R over three seasons. JOTA Sport, concluding its first season as the Cadillac factory team, continues its celebration of 25 years in motorsports.
Alex Lynn, driving the No. 12 Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA V-Series.R, registered a best lap of 1 minute, 47.543 seconds on the 5.412 km (3.363-mile), 15-turn Bahrain International Circuit to qualify fifth among the 18 Hypercar entries.
Lynn, who will share duties with Norman Nato and Will Stevens, was the best-placed driver among entries in contention for the Drivers’ Championship as the No. 51 Ferrari was lower in the order and the No. 83 Ferrari and No. 6 Porsche did not advance out of the first round. The front-running No. 51 Ferrari AF Corse has recorded only 10 points over the past three races, which places the charging No. 12 Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA V-Series.R 13 points out of third and 21 points behind second.
The No. 12 entry is the only Hypercar to score points in all seven races, highlighted by the program’s maiden WEC victory in July at Interlagos.
“I feel confident. From our side, we’re just going to push like crazy and see what happens. All to play for and nothing to lose really, so just go for it,” said Lynn, who improved upon his first qualifying round best lap by .338 of a second in Hyperpole.
Toyota locked out the front row for the race at Bahrain International Circuit for the second year in a row as occasional Cadillac Racing endurance driver Kamui Kobayashi set the pace with a 1:46.826 lap in the No. 7 GR010 Hybrid,
Toyota joined Cadillac and Ferrari as the only manufacturers to start from the pole. Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA secured 1-2 starting spots in three of the final five races of the season, and the No. 12 Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA V-Series.R advanced to Hyperpole in seven of the eight races.
Earl Bamber, who will co-drive the No. 38 Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA V-Series.R with Sebastien Bourdais and Jenson Button, qualified 14th at 1:48.392. In 2024, Bamber, Lynn and Bourdais advanced seven positions from their starting spot to finish seventh in the lone Cadillac entry.
Cadillac, also in mathematical contention for the Manufacturers’ Championship, nonetheless will secure its best placement in the program’s three years of WEC competition. With a single point scored at Fuji, Ferrari holds a 39-point advantage over Porsche and 61-point lead over Cadillac in the Manufacturers’ Championship with 66 points available.
Ride along during race
Streaming of the eight-hour race via in-car cameras on the Nos. 12 and 38 Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA V-Series.Rs is available HERE.
The race is scheduled for 2 p.m. AST / 6 a.m. ET. Full streaming coverage is available on the MotorTrend and the MAX app in the United States in addition to the FIA WEC app.
What they’re saying
Alex Lynn P5 (No. 12 Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA V-Series.R): “So we start in P5 for the race tomorrow and I’m pleased with that. We’ve had a run of pole positions this year so naturally you hope and you dream of another one, but I think honestly, I’m proud of that lap and proud of the session. The team has done a great job today and I think it was very close to the maximum of what we could do.”
Earl Bamber P14 (No. 38 Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA V-Series.R): “We had a tough day in our car today. Honestly, I thought we did a good lap, but it obviously wasn’t enough. Our sister car got a great lap in though. We’re starting much further back than we would have hoped but we still have plenty of hope. Last year we started at the back and ended in the points so it’s all still to play for.”
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