For Albuquerque, Cadillac is the car "most consistent on all circuits"

This is one of the winter transfers in Endurance. In IMSA, the Wayne Taylor Racing team has left Acura to partner with Cadillac, taking with it its drivers, brothers Jordan and Ricky Taylor, Louis Delétraz and Filipe Albuquerque.

« We are very excited about the new project we are adopting as a group. ", expressed Filipe Albuquerque in an IMSA press briefing before going to Daytona for the Roar, from January 17 to 19.

« It's a bit like selling your old car and buying a new one, image the Portuguese. We are excited, motivated, but also overwhelmed by the amount of things we have to do. And, obviously, with the limited testing that is allowed, we really have to use the Roar to check all the points. »

Double Daytona winner with Cadillac

For the Portuguese, it is a reunion with a manufacturer whose interests he represented in DPi between 2017 and 2020, with a victory at the 24 Hours of Daytona to his name (2018 with João Barbosa and Christian Fittipaldi). The native of Coimbra (Portugal) can therefore draw comparisons between the Cadillac DPi-VR and the V-Series.R that he was able to discover during the pre-season tests in November. 

« This looks like the 2017 DPi car when I first drove it, comments the person concerned. It’s very easy to handle some functions. Obviously, I don’t want to go into detail here, but it feels a lot like the DPi. I remember being very comfortable with the driving style of the car back then, and it seems to be leaning towards the same feeling, with a nice power delivery to the rear axle. Again, that powerful Cadillac engine is very reminiscent of the past. A funny story: when I went back to the Dallara simulator in Indianapolis, I met the guys who still do the seat adjustment, and I found my box with my name and gloves that I had left there five years ago. We just picked up where we left off, and the right people are still there. Of course, there are more people now because of the electric part of the car, which didn’t exist back then. But it’s not completely new. »

Easier adaptation than in the past

For the 39-year-old rider, adapting to his new ride is going more easily than in the past.

« In the DPi, I remember being completely lost with some of the set-ups, and I had to figure it all out by myself because the very first time I drove the car was at the Roar, and the first time I had new tires was in qualifying. With the Acura, I was completely lost. Those two days of testing in November were pretty helpful, and I think now, with Ricky (Taylor), Louis (Deletraz) and Jordan (Taylor), we know what we would like to have on the car to help us with the set-up. Obviously, we have different mindsets or we come with different ideas, and we try to bring the right ones to the car and implement them. It’s interesting, but the feeling of the car and how it works is much simpler. I have to say it’s easier and I’m not as lost as I was in 2021. »

Is this return to the Michigan manufacturer the right opportunity for Albuquerque to break the Indian sign while it remains on two second places in a row at Dayton with Acura?

« When we were battling them, I think we always considered Cadillac to be the most consistent car on every track, throughout the season, assures the Portuguese. So they've always been fighting for the championship, so they've been very consistent the last couple of years and they've had some hell of a qualifying performance. So it's looking good and I'm extremely excited to go to Daytona next week. »

At the 24 Hours of Daytona, Filipe Albuquerque will team up with his partner Ricky Taylor, as well as Brendon Hartley and Will Stevens.

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