From factory Corvette racer to Cadillac F1 simulator, Eastwood is a key part of GM’s motorsports program | RACER

With his new role as a simulator driver for Cadillac’s Formula 1 team, Corvette factory driver Charlie Eastwood will add value to General Motors’ global racing operations wherever he can.

The 30-year-old Irishman has spent 2025 running GT3 programs in the FIA ​​WEC, IMSA and European Le Mans Series with Corvette Racing partner teams TF Sport and DXDT, plus traveling to and from Charlotte, NC, to help Cadillac get its F1 project off the ground. It’s been a hugely busy year, but the long days and nights on and off the track have been worth it as its shares have risen significantly in industry circles as a result.

Speaking to RACER ahead of the final FIA WEC race of the season in Bahrain, Eastwood revealed that he has been part of Cadillac since March, long before it was made public last month.

“It’s such a cool project to be a part of,” he said when asked about his busy schedule. “It’s such a challenge because of the timescale: confirming a participation in October last year and having cars on the grid in March next year. Because of the uncertainty of getting the participation, they couldn’t commit the expenditure, let alone hire people in advance.

“I actually got the job extremely quickly. When my ‘garden leave’ at Mercedes F1 (where he was a simulator driver for several seasons) expired, I sent a message to Eric Warren (vice president of global motorsports competition at GM), and within 15 minutes I was in an email chain that led to the hire. That’s the great thing about General Motors: they act.

“You can see it in the speed at which they are getting this project off the ground. Setting up a GT3 program at that time would be difficult, let alone an F1 programme. It’s crazy to see people being hired and the resources being put into making it happen. But there are a lot of driven people from multiple companies who have signed up.”

“It’s also cool to work on from the beginning because when I was at Mercedes (F1), they had won multiple titles when I arrived. At Cadillac it’s completely different because they don’t have a single lap of data to work with. At Mercedes I went in every day, and if I didn’t learn a bucketful when I left, it was a bad day.”

“Now it’s a role reversal as I bring the knowledge to the project as a lot of people at the highest level there have incredible experience, but for some in Charlotte at the GM technology center it may only be NASCAR projects, and that couldn’t be much further away.

“It’s all happening at such speed and scale, who knows where it will be in a year, two years.”

What does this all mean for his career goals and future in sports car racing?

“It’s all negotiable,” he said. “I have my own ambitions on the track; there is no driver who doesn’t want to drive Hypercar, for example. But I enjoy my time with Corvette. I asked the same question because I want to add as much value to General Motors as I can, so if that means doing every race under the sun with Corvette, then that’s great, or if it means driving 50 days in the simulation with Cadillac F1, I don’t mind.”

“Of course I would like to stay in the WEC as a main program, but if I am considered valuable on the F1 side then I can go that way. There are a lot of options and paths, it’s just trying to find a balance.”

Before Eastwood completes his 2026 commitments, he has a big weekend ahead of him in Bahrain. With TF Sport he wants to win a second LMGT3 title this year with the Z06 LMGT3.R and contribute to his success with the British team in the ELMS, where he sealed the championship at the season finale in Portimao last month.

Together with his teammates, Rui Andrade and Tom van Rompuy, Eastwood in the No. 81 TF Sport Z06 GT3.R is 24 points behind the WEC LMGT3 championship leaders Manthey 1st Phorm with eight hours of racing remaining in the WEC season and 39 points up for grabs.

The 8 Hours of Bahrain is an event that has produced a host of exciting title deciders over the years. It is a track that is tough on the brakes and tires due to its layout and abrasive surface. The eight-hour format also often throws a spanner in the works, as it opens up the strategy books further than a standard six-hour race. All championship contenders must work on their A game to end the season on a high note when the sun sets and the floodlights come on.

Eastwood is confident that Bahrain’s characteristics will enhance his team’s strengths. James Moy Photography/Getty Images

Despite the gap in the rankings to close and the strength of the opposition in the class, Eastwood is confident he can achieve his dream of becoming WEC champion for the first time. Barring a form lapse at COTA, the No. 81 trio heads into the final race full of confidence having enjoyed a strong run of results over the past four races, with a win last time out at Fuji, and podiums at Le Mans and São Paulo.

“We will see a lot of strategy play because of the surface, with teams gambling with half sets or some tire changes on the left rear,” he explained. “And due to the transition from day to night, the level of dough changes.

“If you can create a gap, unless there’s a long safety car, it’s hard to catch a car racing into the distance. So you see a lot of teams giving Bronze drivers a lot of new tires early on. You often get FCYs, but if you lose a minute too early, there’s little chance of a pro catching up too late. It’s a tough race to manage, but the Corvette is strong there in terms of tire wear, and it’s a track where you’re rewarded if you have a bond.

“But there is a chance you have to roll the dice. And in a title fight you have to be solid, you have to keep it clean. The most difficult element is not getting overly excited at the start of a stint and destroying the tyre.”

“We’ve seen in the last few rounds that the manufacturers have been so close in GT3, and it’s been about the execution, which is great. We know that at TF, more often than not, the execution is what the team does, and at Corvette the pace of development of the car in two years has been insane.”