A little more than a full year in the past at the Nevada Grand Prix, Cadillac were finally awarded the official approval as the world of Formula One's most recent entrant for 2026. Establishing the organization from nothing has entailed a frenetic pace of work that the principal, Graeme Lowdon, has likened to the Apollo program. As the sport descends on Vegas this race weekend, Cadillac are aware the deadline is approaching.
The Countdown to Melbourne
At the last event of the championship to be hosted in the US, with around 100 days to go before they take to the track for the maiden outing in Melbourne at the first race of 2026, the Cadillac F1 project have made significant progress but, in what must seem like a never-ending challenge, they are cognizant there will never be adequate time.
The technical director, Nick Chester, came aboard the newly formed project in early 2023 soon after it was formed, when the organization were without even an official entry. He has been at its heart since then and has a knowing grin when thinking about the experience.
“You can have a short period looking back at what you’ve done and say: ‘Amazing, isn’t this fantastic what the team has created in under three years,’” Chester states. “But then the following moment you consider: ‘Yes, we still have a significant amount to do.’”
A Unique Opportunity
Nick Chester enjoyed success at Renault in Alonso's championship-winning years of 2005 and 2006 and was in charge of technical development at the recently formed Mercedes-Benz Formula E team, but nothing has quite compared with the challenge of bringing the all-American Cadillac brand, a works entry sponsored by the owner, GM, into F1.
“Building an grand prix team from the ground up, when will you ever have the possibility to do that?” he observes. “There's nothing comparable. In an well-set team you don’t get the opportunity to alter organizational mindset.”
With each day that passes thoughts are more focused on the impending critical moment in Australia and targets are being set realistically.
“One must presume that a brand-new squad entering the sport is probably going to finish last but merely participating will be an achievement in itself,” Graeme Lowdon stated recently and while Chester agreed with this sentiment he felt the organization had a reputation to build as well.
“The first thing we aim to demonstrate is that we should be there,” Chester explains. “So that we arrive and we operate well. We aim to demonstrate that this is a professional operation doing the right things on the track. After we prove that we’re really credible, then we aim to demonstrate progression after that.”
Driver Lineup and Recruitment Drive
In August they contracted Checo Pérez and Valtteri as their drivers for 2026, a duo notable for their vast knowledge in performing at the sharp end in two of the sport’s biggest teams, the Red Bull team and the Mercedes team, and Valtteri Bottas reflected the sentiment of determined optimism.
“Certainly, we’re realistic,” he said. “We have a massive task to do, and we expect probably a challenging beginning, because it's the top level of motorsport. But we aren't joining to stay at the back. In my view with this structure, with these individuals, these personnel, there is every reason that we shouldn’t be able to advance swiftly to the front and achieve good results.”
To that end hiring has been in overdrive, with employees now at over 400 and scheduled to attain the target of 600 rapidly. In addition to their current base at the Silverstone circuit, the organization are in the midst of finishing an main base at Fishers in the Indianapolis area and there is the GM works in Charlotte, where they are building the facility to build the new engine, planned for 2029 – for now they will operate with power from Ferrari – and the Toyota wind tunnel in Cologne. It is a complex structure, at odds with the trend in Formula One for more centralization, and has inspired the innovative team culture to which the CTO referred to.
Space Mission Blueprint
“It’s highly modelled on the Apollo program,” said Graeme Lowdon shortly before the British Grand Prix in the summer. “We have a clear-eyed view, we understand how challenging it is. The schedules, are extremely compressed. Alright, it's not a space expedition, but the pressure is comparable.”
So they have implemented, as opposed to the traditional management structure, a decentralized management akin to that of NASA's, where there were a range of project teams all focusing on different aspects of the program at a different facilities.
“When you must follow a process where someone has a problem and they report it to their manager, that manager consults a leader in another department, it is relayed back, the process is very slow,” explains Chester. “Therefore we enable staff to take charge. Eliminating hierarchical consent for all decisions is much smoother and more rapid.”
What Lies Ahead
The efficacy of this agile methodology will be proven in the pressure of racing when the season begins and there is a considerable amount at stake for the sport, too. The Cadillac team have recruited as their development driver the emerging American Colton Herta
