Along with his new position as a simulator driver for Cadillac’s Components 1 group, Corvette manufacturing unit driver Charlie Eastwood is “including worth” wherever he can to Common Motors’ international racing operation.
The 30-year-old Irishman has spent 2025 plate-spinning GT3 applications within the FIA WEC, IMSA and European Le Mans Collection with Corvette Racing companion groups TF Sport and DXDT, plus journeys to and from Charlotte, N.C., to assist Cadillac get its F1 undertaking off the bottom. It’s been a vastly busy yr, however the lengthy days and nights on and off observe have been value it as his inventory has risen significantly in business circles because of this.
Talking with RACER forward of the ultimate FIA WEC race of the season in Bahrain, Eastwood revealed that he’s been a part of the Cadillac effort since March, lengthy earlier than it was made public final month.
“It’s such a cool undertaking to be a part of,” he mentioned when requested about his packed schedule. “It’s such a problem due to the timescale, confirming an entry in October final yr to having automobiles on the grid in March subsequent yr. Due to the uncertainty of getting the entry, they couldn’t commit the spend, not to mention make use of individuals upfront.
“I truly bought the job extraordinarily quick. When my ‘gardening go away’ with Mercedes F1 (the place he was a simulator driver for a number of seasons) elapsed, I messaged Eric Warren (vice chairman of worldwide motorsports competitors at GM), and inside quarter-hour, I used to be in an electronic mail chain that led to the hiring. That’s the wonderful thing about Common Motors: they act.
“You may see it within the pace they’re getting this undertaking off the bottom. Getting up a GT3 program could be powerful in that point, not to mention an F1 program. Seeing individuals get employed and seeing the sources going into it to make it occur, it’s loopy. However there are plenty of pushed individuals from a number of corporations who’ve are available in.
“It’s cool to work on from the beginning, too, as a result of once I was at Mercedes (F1), they’d gained a number of titles once I arrived. At Cadillac, it’s completely completely different, as a result of they don’t have a single lap of knowledge to work with. At Mercedes, I used to be stepping into every day, and if I didn’t be taught a bucketful once I left, it was a nasty day.
“Now, it’s a job reversal, as a result of I convey the data to the undertaking as plenty of top-level individuals there have unimaginable expertise, however for some in Charlotte on the GM tech middle, it’s possibly solely NASCAR tasks, and that couldn’t be a lot additional away.
“It’s all shifting at such a charge and scale, who is aware of the place it’ll be in a yr, two years.”
With TF Sport, Eastwood is seeking to clinch a second LMGT3 title with the Z06 LMGT3.R this yr. James Moy Images/Getty Pictures
What does this all imply for his profession targets and future in sports activities automobile racing?
“It’s all up for dialogue,” he mentioned. “I’ve my very own aspirations on observe; there’s no driver who doesn’t need to be in Hypercar, as an illustration. However I’m loving my time with Corvette. I’ve requested the identical query as a result of I need to add as a lot worth to Common Motors as I can, so if which means doing each race beneath the solar with Corvette, then nice, or if it means 50 days within the sim with Cadillac F1, I don’t thoughts.
“In fact, I’d love to remain in WEC as a primary program, but when I’m deemed to be priceless on the F1 aspect, then I can go in that route. There are a great deal of choices and paths, it’s simply looking for a steadiness.”
Earlier than finalizing his 2026 commitments, Eastwood has an enormous weekend forward of him in Bahrain. With TF Sport, he’s seeking to clinch a second LMGT3 title with the Z06 LMGT3.R this yr and add to his success with the British group within the ELMS, the place he sealed the championship within the season finale in Portimao final month.
Alongside along with his teammates, Rui Andrade and Tom van Rompuy, within the No. 81 TF Sport Z06 GT3.R, Eastwood is 24 factors off the WEC LMGT3 championship leaders from Manthey 1st Phorm with eight hours of racing to go within the WEC season and 39 factors up for grabs.
The 8 Hours of Bahrain is an occasion that has produced its justifiable share of thrilling title deciders over time. It’s a circuit that’s powerful on brakes and tires because of its structure and abrasive floor. The eight-hour format usually throws a wrench within the works, too, because it opens up the technique books additional than a normal six-hour race. All championship contenders have to be on their A sport to complete the season on a excessive word when the solar units and the flood lights change on.
Eastwood is assured the traits of Bahrain will play to his group’s strengths. James Moy Images/Getty Pictures
Regardless of the hole within the standings to beat and the power of the opposition within the class, Eastwood is assured that he can understand his dream of changing into a WEC champion for the primary time. Leaving apart a blip in type at COTA, the No. 81 trio head into the ultimate race excessive on confidence after stringing collectively a robust set of outcomes over the previous 4 races, with a win final day out in Fuji, and podiums at Le Mans and São Paulo.
“We’ll see plenty of technique taking part in out due to the floor, with groups playing with half units or single left-rear tire adjustments,” he defined. “And due to the transition from day to nighttime, it adjustments the extent of deg.
“For those who can create a spot, until there’s a protracted security automobile, it’s exhausting to catch a automobile that races off into the space, so that you see plenty of groups giving Bronze drivers a lot of new tires early on. You usually get FCYs, however in the event you lose a minute early, the probabilities of a professional making that up late on are slim to none. It’s a difficult race to handle, however the Corvette is robust there and robust on tire put on, and it’s a circuit the place you’re rewarded when you have a tire benefit.
“However there’s an opportunity it’s important to roll the cube. And in a title battle, it’s worthwhile to be strong, it’s worthwhile to maintain it clear. The toughest factor just isn’t getting over-excited firstly of a stint and killing the tire.
“We’ve seen in the previous few rounds that the producers in GT3 have been so shut, and it’s been about execution, which is nice. We all know that with TF, the execution is what the group nails as a rule, and at Corvette, the speed of improvement with the automobile in two years has been insane.”
