A little more than twelve months ago at the Nevada Grand Prix, the Cadillac racing team were finally given the official approval as Formula One’s latest entry for the 2026 season. Building the team from scratch has entailed a intense pace of work that the team principal, Graeme Lowdon, has likened to the Apollo program. As Formula One converges on Las Vegas this race weekend, Cadillac know the clock is ticking.
The Countdown to Australia
At the season finale of the season to be held in the US, with approximately 100 days to go before they make their debut for the inaugural time in Australia at the first race of 2026, the Cadillac F1 project have made significant progress but, in what must seem like a never-ending task, they are conscious there will never be adequate time.
The chief technical officer, Nick Chester, joined the newly formed team in March 2023 soon after it was established, when the squad were without even an confirmed place. He has been at its heart since then and has a amused expression when thinking about the ride.
“You can have five minutes thinking back at what you’ve done and go: ‘Wow, isn’t this fantastic what the team has created in less than three years,’” he says. “Then the next minute you consider: ‘Yeah, there is still a great deal to do.’”
A One-of-a-Kind Opportunity
Chester enjoyed success at the Renault team in Alonso's title-winning seasons of 2005 and 2006 and was in control of technical direction at the new Mercedes electric racing team, but no other project has truly matched the challenge of launching the all-American Cadillac brand, a factory team sponsored by the corporate entity, General Motors Corporation, into the pinnacle of motorsport.
“Building an Formula One team from nothing, when will you ever have the possibility to do that?” he observes. “It is like nothing else. In an existing team you don’t get the possibility to alter team culture.”
With each day that passes thoughts are sharper on the looming moment of truth in Australia and targets are being managed.
“You have to assume that any new team coming in is likely to start at the back but merely participating will be an feat in itself,” the team principal stated this year and while the CTO agreed with this sentiment he thought the squad had a statement to make as well.
“The initial objective we want to show is that we belong on the grid,” he says. “In order that we show up and we function efficiently. We want to show that this is a professional operation executing the right things on the race track. Once we have demonstrated that we are a legitimate team, then we will focus on forward movement after that.”
Racing Talent and Hiring Drive
In August they recruited Sergio Pérez and Valtteri as their drivers for the 2026 season, a pair distinguished for their invaluable experience in operating at the leading positions in two of the sport’s biggest teams, Red Bull and Mercedes-AMG, and the Finnish driver reflected the mood of determined optimism.
“Naturally, we are pragmatic,” Bottas stated. “There’s going to be a massive task to do, and it will likely be almost certainly a tough opening, because it is F1. But our goal isn't to remain at the rear. I believe given this organization, with these individuals, this staff, there’s no reason why we won't be able to advance swiftly to the front and enjoy some success.”
To achieve that goal staff acquisition has been in full swing, with personnel now at in excess of 400 and intended to reach the objective of 600 swiftly. Alongside their present headquarters at Silverstone, the squad are in the process of building an headquarters at Fishers, Indiana in Indy and there is the General Motors facility in North Carolina, where they are constructing the center to produce the new engine, set for the 2029 season – in the meantime they will run power from Ferrari – and the aerodynamic facility in Cologne, Germany. It is a intricate organisation, at odds with the movement in Formula One for more centralization, and has led to the innovative team culture to which Nick Chester alluded.
NASA Inspiration
“It's closely based on the Apollo project,” remarked Lowdon ahead of the Silverstone race in mid-season. “We have a clear-eyed view, we understand how challenging it is. The timelines, they’re super, super, super short. Alright, we aren't launching a lunar mission, but it can seem that way.”
So they have adopted, as opposed to the traditional management structure, a decentralized management comparable to that of NASA's, where there were a range of specialist groups all working on different aspects of the program in a variety of locations.
“If you have to go through a procedure where someone has a problem and they escalate it to their team leader, that leader talks to a manager somewhere else, it is relayed back, it becomes inefficient,” explains the CTO. “We give authority to team members to really get on with it. Avoiding managerial sign-off for all decisions is much smoother and quicker.”
What Lies Ahead
The success of this nimble approach will be evaluated in the heat of competition in 2026 and there is no little amount riding on this for the sport, too. The Cadillac team have recruited as their reserve driver the young Californian Colton Herta
