Cadillac with only two drivers at Imola: a strategic advantage?

We left the Cadillac team delighted with its fourth place at the end of the 1812km of Qatar, last March, the “best of the others” behind the untouchables Porsche in Losail. Since, alas, the V-Series.R n°2 was disqualified due to non-compliant bodywork, without however attacking the determination of the American clan. This weekend, the paddock of WEC heads to Italy for the 6 Hours of Imola, a unique round in the World Championship calendar.Endurance.

And Cadillac is arriving with a little originality that could make all the difference: as announced at the start of the year, it will only be with two drivers, Alex Lynn and Earl Bamber, that the Detroit brand will present itself in Emilia-Romagna. No Sebastian Bourdais nor Renger van der Zande therefore, the Frenchman and the Dutchman being stuck with their obligations in Long Beach where the third round of the season will take place on the same weekend in IMSA.

Fewer drivers, fewer compromises?

On the grid, Cadillac will be the only team to have only two drivers aboard its car. Moreover, this will be the case for all six-hour rounds this season (Imola, Spa-Francorchamps, Interlagos, Austin and Fuji). However, this surprising choice could represent a real advantage for the American firm, especially on a route like that of Imola…

“I always thought it was an advantage to only have two drivers in the six-hour races. An advantage at all levels: less rotation, more time on the track. For a driver, it’s easier to optimize the car when he can drive longer”, Sébastien Bourdais explained to us ahead of the Italian round. Le Manceau knows what he is talking about, since he already won the 6H of Imola in 2011 with Peugeot …and in duo, with Anthony Davidson.

Indeed, one less driver in the crew means fewer compromises in terms of settings, but also fewer handovers. At Imola, beyond the characteristics of the circuit with a winding and cramped track, the narrowness of the pit lane could create traffic jams and several hassles in the event of passing through the general pits. Cadillac could avoid these setbacks by spending less time in the box and thus returning to the track more quickly.

A risk of fatigue?

However, the presence of only two drivers also presents some risks, notably with longer and more tiring stints for Alex Lynn and Earl Bamber, especially on a track as demanding as that of Imola. But the two Cadillac drivers are counting on their experience of the Italian circuit to shine this weekend.

“Imola was my very first European race. It was 2008 and I won, remembers Earl Bamber. I have good memories of Imola because it was the first time I raced on a European circuit and the victory made the experience even more fun. It was an eye-opening event, a great weekend at Imola. I can’t wait to get back out there with Cadillac Racing and fight for another victory.” “As a team we can’t wait to get back racing. The season is now starting to ramp up to prepare Le Mans. Imola is a twisty circuit, with a lot of stopping and starting, but our car seems to be very agile, so I'm quite optimistic about our race.", adds Alex Lynn.

Cadillac and the brake temperature challenge

To erase the Qatar affront, Cadillac hopes to achieve a good result in Italy, driven by the good performances displayed by the V-Series.R at Losail... however, Sébastien Bourdais tells us that the LMDh could be less comfortable than the LMH in Imola, for a very special reason.

“I think very honestly that the advantage will be on the LMH side [at Imola], for the simple reason that in terms of braking, it risks causing a lot of problems for the LMDh, underlines the French. The brake temperatures are very high, this was already a problem when I was driving with Peugeot. It is one of the circuits that generates the most energy at the brake level. This is going to be a huge problem, the hybrid system on the LMDh being much smaller than the LMH. Having a big hybrid system that you can rely on, rather than relying entirely on your brakes, is going to be very important. » 

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