Cadillac Racing started strong at Imola on April 19th2026, but the first race of the 2026 FIA World Endurance Championship season proved a little more difficult than the manufacturer had hoped. But in the end, Caddy scored some valuable points in a tough game for the team.
Cadillac Racing V-Series.R No. 38 led the way with an eighth-place finish. Sebastien Bourdais and Earl Bamber shared seat time, coming off the grid in 13thth place. Although his V-Series.R race car showed toughness from the start, Bamber struggled to maintain his position in traffic and struggled to overtake competitors. A virtual safety car and safety car period offered a bit of a reprieve, and, in the end, Caddy No. 38 climbed to eighth place, but was unable to advance further.
“We knew coming into this race it wouldn’t be easy, especially starting from the back,” said Bourdais. “The course is very competitive, getting through here is very difficult, and we saw that throughout the race, even Earl [Bamber]who are usually very busy in traffic, are stuck behind cars and unable to go far.”
He added, “For us, the important thing is that we continue to learn with the new aero kit, continue to understand these new tires and continue to develop our skills. If we can start further up the grid, it looks like we can maintain our abilities and fight for the podium.”
Meanwhile, the No. 1 Cadillac Racing team 12 off the grid in fifth position. Will Stevens took control for the first stint and moved up to third in the second hour. However, he was forced to serve a drive-through penalty due to a technical foul under yellow. He and Norman NATO were unable to recover and finished 13thth.
“Of course I was frustrated with the penalty, because up to that point our race results had been very positive,” said Stevens. “I felt like we did a very strong triple duty, made good decisions throughout the race, made some important overtakes and worked hard to get to the front of the race. That’s what was frustrating, but at the same time gave us a lot of confidence. We’ve learned a lot this week, and being competitive at a track like Imola, which we know is historically one of our weakest circuits, is a positive sign for the rest of the year.”
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