Bamber: Two-Driver Lineup an “Advantage” For Cadillac

Earl Bamber believes he and Alex Lynn will have a “performance advantage” driving as the only two-driver pairing in this weekend’s FIA World Endurance Championship round in Imola because of the increased driving time for each driver.

Bamber and Lynn will share the No. 2 Cadillac V-Series.R for the 6 Hours of Imola, kicking off a streak of WEC rounds where they will not have third driver aboard the car that also includes next month’s 6 Hours of Spa.

At Le Mans, they will then be joined by two-time NTT IndyCar Series champion Alex Palou.

Bamber cited the increased track time available for each driver as a major benefit to the approach, believing that it will help Cadillac to get set up better for the race on Sunday.

“I think it’s good,” Bamber told Sportscar365.

“We’ve been teammates now for the third year and I think we sort of gel and we know each other very well. We know what we like, what we dislike.

“We also had a look at the regulations and looked at the old GT days and these cars are not that difficult to drive.

“So it’s probably an advantage just to have two with the way the practice sessions go. With three, you never feel quite prepared going into the race.

“So we do see it as a performance advantage, not a disadvantage of what we’re doing and like I said, the cars are not physical.

“Back in the day it was really physical, but you can drive three, four stints and it’s not a problem with these things. So yeah, I think it’s definitely an advantage rather than a disadvantage.”

Lynn, for his part, indicated that it is important that the two drivers are able to build on an existing relationship that was forged both during last year’s WEC campaign and a season as pairing in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.

The two drivers shared the cockpit of a Cadillac DPi-V.R. for the final year of the DPi ruleset, notably taking victory in the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring alongside Neel Jani.

“We’re now in our third year in a row together,” Lynn said.

“Coming up to my longest relationship with a teammate. It’s been a fun one so far.

“Obviously, Earl is a world-class driver in his own right, but the relationship we have together is, I think, a really good one.

“I believe we complement each other’s styles and strengths and I think that’s an important thing in sports car racing to have two guys who, on the outside, are probably quite different.

“[But] when we get into the car, we always want the same thing, which is also very critical to be a successful partnership.

“And that’s the thing when you’ve been in a partnership for so long, I truly believe that I can say to the engineer, ‘Oh, whatever Earl said, put it in’ and I know I like it, and I think he’s probably the same with me.

“For me, it adds up, and it’s hugely beneficial. It comes down to the trust between each other.

“Especially if there’s some inclement weather, and you have to make the choice for your teammate which tires to take if you’re going to do a driver swap. To have that bond as a pair is very important.”