Just over twelve months in the past at the Nevada Grand Prix, the Cadillac racing team were ultimately given the go-ahead as the world of Formula One's most recent entry for the 2026 season. Constructing the organization from nothing has required a frenetic operating tempo that the principal, Graeme Lowdon, has compared to the Apollo program. As Formula One arrives on Las Vegas this weekend, Cadillac are aware the clock is ticking.
The Countdown to Melbourne
At the last event of the season to be staged in the United States, with approximately three months to go before they make their debut for the maiden outing in Australia at the 2026 season opener, the Cadillac F1 project have made significant progress but, in what must seem like a never-ending endeavor, they are conscious there will never be sufficient time.
The chief technical officer, Nick Chester, joined the nascent project in March 2023 soon after it was formed, when the squad were without even an approved entry. He has been at its core since then and gets a amused expression when reflecting on the ride.
“You can have a short period thinking back at what the team has achieved and go: ‘Incredible, how impressive what the team has created in less than three years,’” he notes. “Then the very next instant you consider: ‘Yeah, we still have a significant amount to do.’”
A Unique Task
Chester enjoyed success at the Renault team in Fernando Alonso’s championship-winning years of 2005/2006 and was in command of technical direction at the recently formed Mercedes-Benz Formula E team, but nothing has been quite like the challenge of launching the iconic American Cadillac marque, a works entry sponsored by the parent company, GM, into F1.
“Building an grand prix team from scratch, when will you ever have the possibility to do that?” he observes. “It's unparalleled. In an established team you won't have the possibility to transform team culture.”
With every day that passes minds are more focused on the looming decisive point in Melbourne and expectations are being set realistically.
“You have to assume that any new team joining the grid is probably going to finish last but simply getting on to the grid will be an achievement in itself,” Lowdon commented recently and while Chester agreed with this sentiment he believed the squad had a statement to make as well.
“Our primary goal we aim to demonstrate is that we deserve to be there,” he emphasizes. “So that we turn up and we operate well. We seek to prove that we are a serious contender doing the correct procedures on the track. Once we have demonstrated that we are a legitimate team, then we will focus on improvement from there on.”
Driver Lineup and Recruitment Effort
In the summer they contracted Checo Pérez and Valtteri Bottas as their pilots for 2026, a tandem distinguished for their invaluable experience in operating at the leading positions in two top-tier teams, Red Bull and Mercedes-AMG, and Valtteri Bottas echoed the attitude of fighting spirit.
“Naturally, we’re realistic,” Bottas stated. “We have a massive task to do, and it’s going to be almost certainly a difficult start, because it is F1. But our goal isn't to remain at the rear. In my view with this structure, with this group, this staff, there’s no reason why we can't manage to get relatively quickly to a competitive level and achieve good results.”
To that end recruitment has been in full swing, with employees now reaching over 400 and scheduled to reach the target of 600 quickly. In addition to their existing facility at the UK base, the organization are in the midst of completing an main base at Fishers in the Indianapolis area and there is the GM works in Charlotte, where they are constructing the facility to produce the 2029 engine, planned for 2029 – until then they will operate with Ferrari power units – and the Toyota wind tunnel in Germany. It is a sophisticated organisation, contrary to the direction in Formula One for increased consolidation, and has prompted the new cultural approach to which the CTO alluded.
NASA Model
“It’s highly modelled on the Apollo project,” remarked Lowdon ahead of the Silverstone race in mid-season. “We’re realistic, we know how tough it is. The timelines, are extremely compressed. Well, we’re not putting a man on the moon, but it feels like it sometimes.”
So they have adopted, as opposed to the traditional management structure, a flat management structure similar to that of Nasa’s, where there were a variety of project teams all working on different aspects of the project across a variety of locations.
“When you must follow a protocol where an issue arises and they escalate it to their manager, that leader consults a leader at a different location, it travels back down, it’s super slow,” notes Chester. “Therefore we enable staff to take charge. Avoiding management approval for everything is far more efficient and faster.”
What Lies Ahead
The efficacy of this agile strategy will be evaluated in the heat of competition when the season begins and there is a significant degree on the line for F1, too. Cadillac have signed as their test driver the young American Colton Herta
