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Cadillac at Le Mans: Front-row sweep

Nos. 12 and 38 Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA V-Series.Rs set the pace at Circuit de la SartheLE MANS, France (June 12, 2025) – For the first time since 1967, an American automaker has earned the pole position for the 24 Hours of Le Mans. And for the first time, Cadillac will lead the field to the green flag in the iconic endurance race.
Alex Lynn, driving the No. 12 Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA V-Series.R, recorded a career-defining lap of 3 minutes, 23.166 seconds in the 15-minute Hyperpole2 session to claim Cadillac’s second pole position in three FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) seasons.
The celebration in the Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA garages grew exponentially seconds later when the Earl Bamber, driving the No. 38 Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA V-Series.R, slotted in second on the time chart with a lap of 3:23.333 on the 13.626-kilometer (8.467-mile) Circuit de la Sarthe to secure the front-row lockout.
“Congratulations to the No. 12 Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA V-Series.R on securing pole position in qualifying for the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the world’s most iconic endurance race,” said John Roth, global vice president of Cadillac. “We are excited to get back on the track and compete for the overall win this weekend.”
Lynn, who qualified second with Cadillac Racing in 2024 and teamed with Bamber and Richard Westbrook to earn a podium in Cadillac’s first race back at Circuit de la Sarthe in 2023 after a 21-year absence, was jubilant and praised “the team effort.”		Resources* Cadillac media guide* Practice, quals photos* Driver results* Cadillac Racing results* Driver photos* Cadillac engine info* Spotter guide
“Pole position here at Le Mans and an incredible front row lockout for the team,” he said. “It doesn’t get much better than that. I want to say a huge thank you to everyone at Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA for giving me the car to do that. It’s been a lifelong goal of mine to be on the pole at Le Mans, it’s such an honor.”
A Cadillac Racing entry has been either first or second on the time sheet in each of the three free practice sessions, the qualifying practice Wednesday night, Hyperpole1 and Hyperpole2 leading up to the 93rd edition of the race.
All four Cadillac Hypercars qualified for Hyperpole1 – a new qualifying format for 2025 in which 15 cars advanced from the 30-minute qualifying practice. The No. 311 Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R, with Jack Aitken behind the wheel, topped the lap time chart in the 20-minute session of 15 cars with a blistering lap of 3:22.742 – the lone sub-3:23 lap in either session. By sanctioning body rules, he gave way to Felipe Drugovich for the next round and the Action Express Racing driver qualified eighth with a lap of 3:24.380.
The No. 101 Cadillac Wayne Taylor Racing V-Series.R used Hyperpole1 to run in race trim, testing ride height and other areas, after the crew and Cadillac engineers efficiently changed the 5.5-liter DOHC V8 engine out of precaution during the afternoon free practice.Now the attention turns to the race, with Cadillac aiming to be the first American automaker to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans since 1969. Norman Nato and Will Stevens, who drove in Hyperpole1, will share time in the No. 12 Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA V-Series.R. Bamber, Sebastien Bourdais, who drove in Hyperpole1, and Jenson Button drive the No. 38 Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA V-Series.R. The No. 12 entry finished fifth and the No. 38 car placed sixth in the most recent race at Spa-Francorchamps.The No. 101 Cadillac Wayne Taylor Racing V-Series.R driven by Filipe Albuquerque, Jordan Taylor and Ricky Taylor, and the No. 311 Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R driven by Aitken, Drugovich and Frederik Vesti are full-season IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship competitors. The Wayne Taylor Racing team is marking its first 24 Hours of Le Mans, though all three drivers and team owner Wayne Taylor have competed multiple times in the event.
Cadillac Racing Le Mans 2024-2023 start/result in Hypercar era2024: Seventh (No. 2 Cadillac V-Series.R ) qualified second/start seventh – Earl Bamber, Alex Lynn, Alex Palou        DNF (No. 3 Cadillac V-Series.R) qualified third/start second — Sebastien Bourdais, Renger van der Zande, Scott Dixon        29th overall/15th in class (No. 311 Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R) start 18th– Pipo Derani, Jack Aitken, Felipe Drugovich2023: Third (No. 2 Cadillac V-Series.R) start sixth — Earl Bamber, Alex Lynn, Richard Westbrook        Fourth (No. 3 Cadillac V-Series.R) start eighth — Sebastien Bourdais, Renger van der Zande, Scott Dixon        17th overall/10th in class (No. 311 Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R) start 13th — Pipo Derani, Jack Aitken, Alexander Sims
What they’re saying
No. 12 Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA V-Series.RAlex Lynn: “I think every time you have the opportunity to drive this kind of car around Le Mans with low fuel and new tires, it’s an honor. It’s a pleasure to be here in front of all of you tonight. I’m truly honored to be able to put in a performance like that in front of everyone and deliver the car to Cadillac how they deserve – in the first position. It’s a special feeling. I can’t describe it. It’s such a magical circuit, a wonderful place and a place where I really try to perform my best. We’ll enjoy this tonight, have a good sleep and reset.”Will Stevens: “Honestly, that’s amazing for us as car #12, amazing for Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA and amazing for GM. We’ve worked so hard since we got this car and we’ve worked really hard all week. We’ve made some good decisions and I’m so proud of everyone in this program, not only to get pole but to have the 1-2 is something really special. Obviously, the qualifying format here is pretty tricky as you need to prep two drivers, but we knew we could do the job. Alex is our main qualifier so we wanted to make sure that he did Hyperpole2, but this then put the pressure on me to make sure that we got through Hyperpole 1. I had traffic from one of the Ferraris so it was very close but we got it done and what a place to start a 24-hour race from. The hard work really starts now, it’s a long road ahead but after today we’re pretty confident. Let’s keep pushing for the win on Sunday.”
Norman Nato: “Honestly, I’m really pleased with all of the work done by the team. All of the credit goes to them. As a driver, even when you have one of the best packages, it’s never easy to do that kind of lap. Especially in WEC right now with the caliber of drivers that we have, the level is at the top. In the end, as drivers, we have the easy part. We complain about everything until the set-up is exactly the way we want it and that’s why all the credit goes to the whole team, everyone who brought us this package and this opportunity. They have all worked so hard. Of course, we’re going to focus now as much as possible for the race ahead but first we need to take a minute to enjoy this very special moment. A front row lock-out at Le Mans is something to savor.”No. 38 Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA V-Series.R Earl Bamber: “What a result for Cadillac and also Hertz Team JOTA… a front-row lockout! We were close on pole last year. As a manufacturer to lock out the front row for the biggest race in the world for us is something pretty special. You don’t get that every day. Big congrats to Alex and the 12 car. It’s going to be nice to sit alongside him Saturday and take the start with Cadillac.”
Sebastien Bourdais: “The goal was to get into the top 10, so I was really happy with the first lap. I didn’t overdrive too much. Really happy for the 12 car guys and Earl did a great job in Hyperpole2 to get P2. Looking forward to the race.”No. 101 Cadillac Wayne Taylor Racing V-Series.R
Ricky Taylor: “What an amazing team day. I have never seen a team change an engine during a practice session before. That might be a world record! I am just so proud of Cadillac Wayne Taylor Racing, coming to Le Mans for the first time and really proving that the guys mean business and they are to compete and here to win. Because we missed the Practice session today, we treated qualifying a bit as a proving of the car to make sure we had stuff ready for the race. We just have night practice left now and the car needs to be ready to go. I did my best. I think we had the sectors to advance but unfortunately, I made a little mistake on the last lap. Otherwise, I thought we had enough to be into Hyperpole2. That would have been a dream. However, now we can just relax and think about our race. It’s a long one so starting P14 isn’t the end of the world.”No. 311 Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R
Jack Aitken: “It was a really fun lap. The Cadillac felt incredible. It was just giving more and more. The second lap, I saw the speed was there and I just started to throw everything at the track, and it ended up being quite a good one. It’s always fun to drive these cars on low fuel, and to do it on the biggest and baddest circuit here is really fun.”
Felipe Drugovich: “It was actually my first proper try on new tires, and I didn’t even do a quali sim before. I would rather be a bit slower than actually making a mistake. So, I just went with a mentality and got a safe lap. Probably too safe. I could have pushed a lot more, but, you know, it’s the first time for me. It’s a very happy day for the team, for the GM family and Cadillac.”