A little more than twelve months in the past at the Las Vegas Grand Prix, Cadillac were at last given the official approval as F1's latest participant for 2026. Building the team from scratch has entailed a frenetic operating tempo that the team boss, Graeme Lowdon, has likened to the NASA lunar mission. As the sport descends on Las Vegas this weekend, the team are aware the deadline is approaching.
The Race Against Time to Melbourne
At the last event of the season to be staged in the US, with just over three months to go before they take to the track for the maiden outing in Australia at the first race of 2026, Cadillac have come on in leaps and bounds but, in what must seem like a monumental endeavor, they are aware there will not be sufficient time.
The CTO, Nick Chester, joined the newly formed team in the spring of 2023 soon after it was formed, when the organization were without even an official entry. He has been at its core since then and enjoys a knowing grin when considering the journey.
“There might be a brief moment looking back at what you’ve done and think: ‘Amazing, isn’t this fantastic what the team has created in under three years,’” Chester states. “Then the next minute you think: ‘Well, we still have a significant amount to do.’”
A One-of-a-Kind Opportunity
Chester enjoyed success at Renault in Fernando Alonso’s victorious seasons of the mid-2000s and was in control of technical direction at the then-new Mercedes Formula E team, but no previous experience has truly matched the challenge of launching the quintessentially American Cadillac brand, a manufacturer-backed entry sponsored by the corporate entity, General Motors, into Formula One.
“Establishing an Formula One team from the ground up, when will you ever have the possibility to do that?” he says. “It's unparalleled. In an well-set team you won't have the possibility to change cultural approach.”
With each passing day that passes minds are sharper on the impending critical moment in the Australian GP and targets are being managed.
“It's reasonable to expect that any new team joining the grid is going to be last but just making it to the starting line will be an accomplishment in itself,” Graeme Lowdon stated this year and while Nick Chester echoed this he thought the team had a reputation to build as well.
“The initial objective we intend to prove is that we belong on the grid,” Chester explains. “So we arrive and we function efficiently. We want to show that we are a serious contender doing the correct procedures on the circuit. After we prove that we are a legitimate team, then we aim to demonstrate forward movement from there on.”
Pilot Selection and Team Building Effort
In the summer they signed Sergio Perez and Bottas as their drivers for 2026, a pair remarkable for their vast knowledge in performing at the leading positions in two championship-winning squads, Red Bull Racing and Mercedes-AMG, and the Finnish driver echoed the sentiment of fighting spirit.
“Naturally, we have a realistic outlook,” he commented. “There’s going to be a huge amount of work to do, and it’s going to be probably a difficult start, because this is Formula One. But our goal isn't to remain at the rear. I believe given this organization, with these individuals, this staff, it's entirely possible we won't be able to progress rapidly up to the pace and enjoy some success.”
To achieve that goal recruitment has been in overdrive, with employees now up to more than 400 and intended to hit the goal of 600 members swiftly. In addition to their current base at the UK base, the team are in the phase of building an HQ at the Fishers location in Indianapolis and there is the GM works in Charlotte, where they are constructing the center to manufacture the new engine, set for the 2029 season – for now they will use power from Ferrari – and the Toyota's wind tunnel in Cologne. It is a intricate organisation, different from the movement in F1 for increased consolidation, and has inspired the new cultural approach to which Chester alluded.
Apollo Inspiration
“It's closely based on the Apollo project,” remarked Graeme Lowdon shortly before the British GP in July. “We’re realistic, we know how difficult it is. The schedules, are incredibly tight. Alright, it's not a space expedition, but it can seem that way.”
So they have embraced, instead of the conventional chain of command, a flat management structure similar to that of NASA's, where there were a range of specialist groups all focusing on various components of the mission across a different facilities.
“When you must follow a procedure where a challenge emerges and they escalate it to their manager, that supervisor talks to a supervisor in another department, it goes back down the chain, it becomes inefficient,” explains Chester. “Therefore we enable people to handle things directly. Moving away from managerial sign-off for each action is so much cleaner and quicker.”
What Lies Ahead
The effectiveness of this agile approach will be evaluated in the pressure of racing next season and there is no little amount riding on this for the sport, too. Cadillac have recruited as their reserve driver the 25-year-old Californian Colton Herta
