Jack Aitken replaces Jenson Button in Cadillac’s 2026 WEC line-up

One-time Formula 1 starter Jack Aitken will join Cadillac’s World Endurance Championship line-up next year, replacing the retired Jenson Button at the factory Jota team.

Aitken, who has been representing the GM marque in the IMSA SportsCar Championship since 2023, will share the #38 Cadillac V-Series.R with incumbents Earl Bamber and Sebastien Bourdais.

This will be the Briton’s first full campaign in the WEC, although he has already made four appearances in the Le Mans 24 Hours – including three with Cadillac in the Hypercar class.

The 30-year-old began integrating with the Jota team at last weekend’s Bahrain rookie test, where he shared the car with Ricky Taylor.

Aitken will combine his newly announced WEC commitments with another campaign in IMSA’s GTP division after finishing second in the championship this year. He will once again team up with Bamber at the wheel of Action Express Racing’s Cadillac LMDh, with Mercedes F1 reserve Frederik Vesti joining the duo at endurance events.

Wednesday’s announcement almost certainly means that Aitken won’t return to the DTM for a fourth campaign with Emil Frey Racing in 2026.

“I am very appreciative that Cadillac has that trust and are willing to give me the opportunity,” said Aitken.

“It’s very exciting for me personally because I’ve never raced in the WEC and I’ve never raced with JOTA, even though we’ve come close a couple of times and have had a relationship that is now coming to fruition. They have fantastic people – from the drivers to the staff – and it’s a team that has had success in WEC.

“I’m excited to try to take what I’ve learned in IMSA at Action Express and bring that across to try to push things forward. I’m excited to start the year and to double up on my time in the Cadillac V-Series.R.”

#38 Cadillac Hertz Team Jota Cadillac V-Series.R: Jenson Button

Photo by: Shameem Fahath / Motorsport Network

Aitken’s addition marks the only change to Jota/Cadillac’s driver line-up in the WEC, with Alex Lynn, Norman Nato and Will Stevens remaining as a trio in the #12 entry.

Lynn has been representing Cadillac as a factory driver since the final year of IMSA’s DPi era in 2022, while Stevens has enjoyed a long relationship with Jota dating back to its LMP2 days. Nato first joined Jota in 2024 when it ran a pair of Porsche 963s on a customer basis.

Jota and Cadillac had been searching for a new driver to replace Button ever since it became clear that the 2009 F1 champion would retire from professional motorsport at the end of his two-year contract with the team.

Several drivers including 2019-20 Formula E champion Antonio Felix da Costa and current Alpine driver Mick Schumacher were under consideration for the vacant seat before Jota/Cadilla ultimately selected Aitken.

Schumacher came close to securing a twin programme with Cadillac that would have seen him join the American marque’s new F1 team as a reserve driver, but the deal collapsed prior to the WEC’s visit to Austin in September.

“We’re thrilled to welcome Jack Aitken to our 2026 WEC Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA driver lineup. Jack brings exceptional speed, technical insight, and a fierce competitive spirit that perfectly complements the team,” Cadillac Racing program manager Keely Bosn said.

“Our 2026 roster truly reflects the strength in continuity. With drivers competing across both IMSA and WEC, we’re building a unified program that drives shared performance and development. I’m genuinely excited about the depth, talent, and energy this lineup brings to the season ahead.”