Just over a full year ago at the Nevada Grand Prix, the Cadillac racing team were at last granted the go-ahead as F1's newest entrant for 2026. Building the squad from scratch has involved a frenetic pace of work that the principal, Graeme Lowdon, has compared to the Apollo moon landing. As Formula One arrives on the Vegas strip this weekend, the team understand time is getting tight.
The Countdown to Australia
At the last event of the campaign to be held in the United States, with just over a hundred 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 sisyphean endeavor, they are conscious there will not be enough hours in the day.
The technical director, Nick Chester, became part of the embryonic operation in the spring of 2023 shortly after it was established, when the organization were without even an approved entry. He has been at its center since then and enjoys a amused expression when considering the journey.
“You might get a short period thinking back at what the team has achieved and say: ‘Wow, what an achievement what the team has created in a short three-year period,’” he notes. “Then the next minute you consider: ‘Yes, there is still a significant amount to do.’”
A One-of-a-Kind Opportunity
The CTO had success at Renault in the driver Fernando Alonso's title-winning seasons of 2005 and 2006 and was in command of technical development at the then-new Mercedes electric racing team, but nothing has been quite like the challenge of introducing the all-American Cadillac brand, a works entry backed by the corporate entity, GM, into F1.
“Building an grand prix team from the ground up, when will you ever have the possibility to do that?” Chester remarks. “There's nothing comparable. In an well-set team you don’t get the possibility to transform team culture.”
With each passing day that goes by minds are increasingly concentrated on the looming moment of truth in the Australian GP and expectations are being set realistically.
“It's reasonable to expect that a brand-new squad joining the grid is likely to start at the back but just making it to the starting line will be an achievement in itself,” Lowdon noted this year and while Chester shared this view he felt the squad had a statement to make as well.
“Our primary goal we intend to prove is that we should be there,” he says. “In order that we turn up and we function efficiently. We aim to demonstrate that we are a serious contender executing the proper actions on the circuit. Once we have demonstrated that our credentials are solid, then we want to show forward movement after that.”
Driver Lineup and Hiring Push
In late summer they recruited Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas as their pilots for the 2026 season, a pair distinguished for their priceless expertise in performing at the front in two championship-winning squads, Red Bull Racing and Mercedes-AMG, and the Finnish driver reflected the sentiment of fighting spirit.
“Certainly, we are pragmatic,” he said. “There’s going to be a massive task to do, and it’s going to be most likely a challenging beginning, because it is F1. But we aren't joining to finish last. I am confident with this structure, with this group, these personnel, there’s no reason why we won't be able to progress rapidly to a competitive level and enjoy some success.”
To that end staff acquisition has been in top gear, with staff now at more than 400 and intended to reach the goal of 600 members quickly. Complementing their present headquarters at Silverstone, the organization are in the process of completing an HQ at Fishers in Indy and there is the General Motors facility in North Carolina, where they are constructing the facility to manufacture the 2029 engine, planned for 2029 – in the meantime they will operate with power from Ferrari – and the Toyota's wind tunnel in Cologne. It is a intricate structure, contrary to the direction in F1 for increased consolidation, and has led to the new cultural approach to which Chester referred to.
NASA Inspiration
“It's closely based on the Apollo project,” said Graeme Lowdon shortly before the British GP in mid-season. “We have a clear-eyed view, we understand how tough it is. The deadlines, are incredibly tight. Well, we aren't launching a lunar mission, but it can seem that way.”
So they have embraced, rather than the conventional chain of command, a decentralized management similar to that of Nasa’s, where there were a range of specialist groups all working on different aspects of the project at a multiple sites.
“In a system where you follow a procedure where someone has a problem and they report it to their supervisor, that leader talks to a manager somewhere else, it goes back down the chain, the process is very slow,” notes the CTO. “Therefore we enable staff to take charge. Avoiding hierarchical consent for each action is so much cleaner and more rapid.”
What Lies Ahead
The efficacy of this agile approach will be tested in the pressure of racing when the season begins and there is a considerable amount at stake for F1, too. Cadillac have recruited as their development driver the young American Colton Herta
