Approximately one year in the past at the Nevada Grand Prix, the Cadillac racing team were finally granted the official approval as the world of Formula One's latest entry for the 2026 season. Establishing the squad from the ground up has entailed a frenetic work rate that the principal, Graeme Lowdon, has compared to the Apollo program. As the sport arrives on Las Vegas this race weekend, Cadillac understand the clock is ticking.
The Countdown to Melbourne
At the season finale of the championship to be hosted in the United States, with around a hundred days to go before they hit the circuit for the inaugural time in Australia at the 2026 season opener, the Cadillac F1 project have come on in leaps and bounds but, in what must seem like a sisyphean endeavor, they are cognizant there will not be enough hours in the day.
The CTO, Nick Chester, joined the nascent team in March 2023 soon after it was formed, when the squad were without even an approved entry. He has been at its center from that point and has a wry smile when thinking about the experience.
“There might be a short period thinking back at what you’ve done and go: ‘Incredible, what an achievement what the team has created in less than three years,’” he notes. “And then the next minute you realize: ‘Yeah, we’ve still got quite a lot to do.’”
A Unique Opportunity
The CTO had success at Renault in the driver Fernando Alonso's championship-winning campaigns of 2005 and 2006 and was in charge of technical direction at the new Mercedes Formula E team, but no other project has truly matched the task of bringing the all-American Cadillac brand, a manufacturer-backed entry backed by the owner, General Motors Corporation, into the pinnacle of motorsport.
“Establishing an F1 team from the ground up, how often do you get the opportunity to do that?” he says. “It is like nothing else. In an established team you rarely get the chance to alter organizational mindset.”
With each passing day that elapses thoughts are sharper on the impending moment of truth in Australia and goals are being managed.
“One must presume that a brand-new squad entering the sport is likely to start at the back but merely participating will be an feat in itself,” the team principal commented recently and while the CTO agreed with this sentiment he felt the squad had a reputation to build as well.
“The first thing we aim to demonstrate is that we should be there,” he says. “In order that we arrive and we function efficiently. We aim to demonstrate that we’re a proper team doing the right things on the circuit. After we prove that we are a legitimate team, then we will focus on improvement subsequently.”
Racing Talent and Hiring Push
In late summer they contracted Sergio Pérez and Valtteri Bottas as their racers for 2026, a tandem remarkable for their priceless expertise in competing at the leading positions in two top-tier teams, the Red Bull team and Mercedes-AMG, and the Finnish driver expressed the attitude of fighting spirit.
“Certainly, we’re realistic,” he commented. “We face a massive task to do, and we expect almost certainly a challenging beginning, because this is Formula One. But our goal isn't to stay at the back. I am confident given this organization, with this group, this staff, it's entirely possible we won't be able to advance swiftly to a competitive level and enjoy some success.”
To that end recruitment has been in overdrive, with employees now reaching in excess of 400 and planned to reach the target of 600 members rapidly. In addition to their current base at the Silverstone circuit, the organization are in the process of finishing an headquarters at the Fishers location in Indianapolis and there is the GM plant in North Carolina, where they are constructing the center to manufacture the 2029 engine, scheduled for 2029 – until then they will run power from Ferrari – and the aerodynamic facility in Cologne. It is a intricate organization, at odds with the movement in the sport for more centralization, and has inspired the new cultural approach to which Chester alluded.
Space Mission Inspiration
“It’s highly modelled on the Apollo program,” said Graeme Lowdon shortly before the British Grand Prix in mid-season. “We have a clear-eyed view, we recognize 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 implemented, instead of the usual hierarchical system, a non-hierarchical approach comparable to that of NASA's, where there were a range of Apollo teams all tackling various components of the project across a variety of locations.
“In a system where you follow a process where an issue arises and they escalate it to their manager, that supervisor consults a supervisor at a different location, it goes back down the chain, the process is very slow,” explains Nick Chester. “We give authority to staff to take charge. Eliminating hierarchical consent for everything is so much cleaner and faster.”
What Lies Ahead
The efficacy of this nimble approach will be proven in the intensity of Grand Prix when the season begins and there is no little amount on the line for the sport, too. Cadillac have signed as their reserve driver the 25-year-old Californian Colton Herta
