Approximately a full year ago at the Vegas Grand Prix, the Cadillac racing team were at last granted the official approval as F1's latest entry for the 2026 season. Building the organization from the ground up has involved a frenetic operating tempo that the team boss, Graeme Lowdon, has compared to the Apollo moon landing. As Formula One arrives on Las Vegas this race weekend, Cadillac know the deadline is approaching.
The Countdown to Australia
At the last event of the championship to be hosted in the America, with around three months to go before they take to the track for the maiden outing in Melbourne at the 2026 opener, Cadillac have come on in leaps and bounds but, in what must seem like a monumental endeavor, they are cognizant there will not be adequate time.
The technical director, Nick Chester, came aboard the nascent operation in early 2023 not long after it was formed, when the team were without even an confirmed place. He has been at its heart ever since and enjoys a knowing grin when considering the ride.
“There might be a short period looking back at what you’ve done and think: ‘Incredible, what an achievement what the team has created in under three years,’” he notes. “But then the next minute you consider: ‘Yeah, we still have quite a lot to do.’”
A Unique Opportunity
The CTO had success at the Renault team in Alonso's championship-winning seasons of 2005 and 2006 and was in command of technical development at the new Mercedes Formula E team, but nothing has been quite like the challenge of launching the quintessentially American Cadillac name, a factory team supported by the owner, General Motors, into Formula One.
“Building an grand prix 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 won't have the opportunity to alter cultural approach.”
With every day that goes by focus are sharper on the impending moment of truth in Melbourne and expectations are being set realistically.
“You have to assume that any new team entering the sport is going to be last but just making it to the starting line will be an achievement in itself,” Lowdon noted this year and while Nick Chester echoed this he believed the team had a statement to make as well.
“The initial objective we want to show is that we deserve to be there,” he says. “In order that we arrive and we perform competently. We aim to demonstrate that we’re a proper team doing the correct procedures on the circuit. Once we prove that we’re really credible, then we will focus on improvement subsequently.”
Racing Talent and Hiring Drive
In the summer they signed Sergio Pérez and Bottas as their drivers for 2026, a tandem notable for their priceless expertise in competing at the leading positions in two top-tier teams, the Red Bull team and Mercedes-AMG, and Bottas echoed the attitude of combative optimism.
“Certainly, we’re realistic,” he said. “There’s going to be a massive task to do, and it will likely be most likely a tough opening, because this is Formula One. But our goal isn't to stay at the back. In my view with this setup, with this team, this staff, it's entirely possible we can't manage to progress rapidly up to the pace and enjoy some success.”
To that end hiring has been in top gear, with staff now up to more than 400 and intended to reach the target of 600 members swiftly. Complementing their present headquarters at the Silverstone circuit, the squad are in the phase of finishing an HQ at Fishers in Indianapolis and there is the GM plant in Charlotte, North Carolina, where they are developing the facility to build the power unit, scheduled for 2029 – until then they will operate with Ferrari engines – and the aerodynamic facility in Germany. It is a intricate organization, contrary to the movement in Formula One for increased consolidation, and has led to the innovative team culture to which Chester referred.
Apollo Inspiration
“We've drawn heavily from the Apollo program,” stated Graeme Lowdon just before the Silverstone race in July. “We are pragmatic, we recognize how tough it is. The timelines, they’re super, super, super short. OK, we’re not putting a man on the moon, but it can seem that way.”
So they have embraced, as opposed to the traditional management structure, a non-hierarchical approach comparable to that of the space agency's, where there were a variety of project teams all tackling different aspects of the mission across a variety of locations.
“In a system where you follow a process where a challenge emerges and they raise it up to their team leader, that supervisor consults a leader in another department, it travels back down, it becomes inefficient,” says Nick Chester. “So we empower staff to take charge. Avoiding managerial sign-off for all decisions is so much cleaner and more rapid.”
What Lies Ahead
The success of this flexible approach will be proven in the heat of competition when the season begins and there is no little amount at stake for Formula One, too. The Cadillac team have recruited as their development driver the young American Colton Herta
