Just over a full year in the past at the Vegas Grand Prix, Cadillac were at last awarded the official approval as the world of Formula One's most recent participant for 2026. Establishing the team from nothing has involved a intense operating tempo that the principal, Graeme Lowdon, has compared to the NASA lunar mission. As the sport arrives on the Vegas strip this race weekend, the team are aware the deadline is approaching.
The Countdown to Melbourne
At the final race of the championship to be staged in the America, with around a hundred days to go before they make their debut for the inaugural time in Melbourne at the 2026 season opener, the Cadillac F1 project have come on in leaps and bounds but, in what must seem like a monumental endeavor, they are cognizant there will not be sufficient time.
The CTO, Nick Chester, came aboard the newly formed operation in early 2023 shortly after it was formed, when the team were without even an approved entry. He has been at its core from that point and has a amused expression when reflecting on the journey.
“There might be five minutes reflecting at what you have accomplished and say: ‘Incredible, how impressive what we have built in less than three years,’” he notes. “And then the very next instant you consider: ‘Yeah, there is still a significant amount to do.’”
A Unique Task
The CTO achieved victories at Renault in Alonso's title-winning campaigns of 2005 and 2006 and was in charge of technical development at the recently formed Mercedes-Benz Formula E team, but no previous experience has truly matched the task of introducing the all-American Cadillac name, a works entry backed by the parent company, GM, into F1.
“Creating an F1 team from scratch, how often do you get the opportunity to do that?” Chester remarks. “It is like nothing else. In an established team you rarely get the opportunity to transform organizational mindset.”
With each passing day that elapses thoughts are more focused on the approaching moment of truth in the Australian GP and expectations are being managed.
“One must presume that a brand-new squad coming in is going to be last but simply getting on to the grid will be an accomplishment in itself,” Graeme Lowdon noted earlier this year and while the CTO agreed with this sentiment he thought the squad had a point to prove as well.
“The first thing we aim to demonstrate is that we deserve to be there,” Chester explains. “So we turn up and we perform competently. We aim to demonstrate that we are a serious contender performing the proper actions on the circuit. Once we have demonstrated that our credentials are solid, then we aim to demonstrate forward movement from there on.”
Driver Lineup and Recruitment Drive
In the summer they contracted Checo Pérez and Bottas as their pilots for 2026, a pair remarkable for their invaluable experience in performing at the sharp end in two championship-winning squads, Red Bull Racing and Mercedes, and Valtteri Bottas echoed the mood of fighting spirit.
“Naturally, we are pragmatic,” Bottas stated. “There’s going to be a massive task to do, and it’s going to be most likely a difficult start, because this is Formula One. But our goal isn't to finish last. I am confident with this setup, with this group, these people, there is every reason that we won't be able to progress rapidly to the front and taste victory.”
To achieve that goal staff acquisition has been in top gear, with staff now reaching over 400 and intended to hit the goal of 600 quickly. Complementing their existing facility at the Silverstone circuit, the squad are in the phase of completing an headquarters at the Fishers location in Indy and there is the GM works in Charlotte, where they are building the center to build the 2029 engine, set for the 2029 season – in the meantime they will operate with power from Ferrari – and the Toyota's wind tunnel in Cologne. It is a complex organisation, different from the trend in the sport for greater centralisation, and has led to the innovative team culture to which Chester referred to.
Apollo Model
“It's closely based on the Apollo project,” remarked Lowdon just before the British GP in mid-season. “We’re realistic, we understand how tough it is. The deadlines, are incredibly tight. OK, we aren't launching a lunar mission, but it can seem that way.”
So they have implemented, as opposed to the usual hierarchical system, a flat management structure comparable to that of the space agency's, where there were a range of project teams all working on different aspects of the project at a variety of locations.
“When you must follow a process where an issue arises and they report it to their supervisor, that manager communicates with a leader somewhere else, it travels back down, it becomes inefficient,” explains Chester. “So we empower team members to handle things directly. Avoiding management approval for each action is far more efficient and quicker.”
The Future
The effectiveness of this nimble approach will be tested in the heat of competition when the season begins and there is a considerable amount on the line for the sport, too. The Cadillac team have signed as their development driver the 25-year-old Californian Colton Herta
