Approximately a full year ago at the Las Vegas Grand Prix, Cadillac were at last given the go-ahead as Formula One’s newest participant for 2026. Constructing the team from nothing has involved a frenetic work rate that the principal, Graeme Lowdon, has compared to the Apollo moon landing. As Formula One arrives on Vegas this weekend, Cadillac know time is getting tight.
The Tight Timeline to Australia
At the last event of the campaign to be hosted in the America, with approximately 100 days to go before they make their debut for the inaugural time in Melbourne at the first race of 2026, the Cadillac F1 project have advanced rapidly but, in what must seem like a never-ending endeavor, they are cognizant there will never be adequate time.
The technical director, Nick Chester, came aboard the embryonic team in March 2023 not long after it was created, when the squad were without even an approved entry. He has been at its core from that point and gets a amused expression when considering the experience.
“You might get a short period thinking back at what you have accomplished and think: ‘Wow, how impressive what the team has created in a short three-year period,’” Chester states. “And then the very next instant you consider: ‘Well, there is still a significant amount to do.’”
An Unprecedented Opportunity
The CTO achieved victories at Renault in Fernando Alonso’s title-winning seasons of the mid-2000s and was in control of technical development at the then-new Mercedes-Benz Formula E team, but no previous experience has been quite like the task of bringing the iconic American Cadillac name, a factory team supported by the parent company, General Motors, into Formula One.
“Establishing an Formula One team from nothing, how often do you get the opportunity to do that?” he says. “There's nothing comparable. In an well-set team you won't have the possibility to change organizational mindset.”
With every day that passes thoughts are sharper on the approaching critical moment in Australia and targets are being managed.
“One must presume that any new team joining the grid is probably going to finish last but merely participating will be an feat in itself,” Graeme Lowdon stated recently and while the CTO shared this view he thought the team had a statement to make as well.
“The first thing we intend to prove is that we should be there,” he says. “In order that we arrive and we operate well. We aim to demonstrate that we are a serious contender doing the right things on the circuit. When we prove that we are a legitimate team, then we aim to demonstrate forward movement after that.”
Racing Talent and Recruitment Effort
In August they contracted Checo Pérez and Bottas as their drivers for 2026, a duo notable for their vast knowledge in operating at the front in two of the sport’s biggest teams, the Red Bull team and the Mercedes team, and Bottas echoed the sentiment of fighting spirit.
“Of course, we are pragmatic,” he said. “There’s going to be a mountain of work to do, and it’s going to be most likely a tough opening, because it is F1. But our goal isn't to finish last. I believe with this setup, with this group, these people, there is every reason that we shouldn’t be able to get relatively quickly to a competitive level and achieve good results.”
To realize that ambition staff acquisition has been in overdrive, with personnel now at in excess of 400 and planned to attain the goal of 600 members swiftly. Alongside their current base at Silverstone, the squad are in the midst of completing an HQ at Fishers, Indiana in Indy and there is the GM plant in Charlotte, where they are constructing the plant to manufacture the 2029 engine, set for 2029 – in the meantime they will use Ferrari power units – and the Toyota's wind tunnel in Germany. It is a intricate structure, contrary to the movement in Formula One for increased consolidation, and has inspired the innovative team culture to which Nick Chester alluded.
NASA Model
“We've drawn heavily from the Apollo program,” remarked Lowdon ahead of the British Grand Prix in July. “We have a clear-eyed view, we recognize how challenging it is. The deadlines, they’re super, super, super short. Well, it's not a space expedition, but the pressure is comparable.”
So they have embraced, rather than the usual hierarchical system, a non-hierarchical approach akin to that of NASA's, where there were a variety of Apollo teams all working on various components of the mission in a variety of locations.
“When you must follow a protocol where an issue arises and they escalate it to their manager, that manager communicates with a supervisor at a different location, it goes back down the chain, it’s super slow,” says Chester. “So we empower team members to really get on with it. Eliminating management approval for each action is far more efficient and faster.”
Upcoming Challenges
The success of this flexible approach will be tested in the heat of competition in 2026 and there is no little amount on the line for Formula One, too. Cadillac have signed as their reserve driver the emerging American Colton Herta
