A little more than a full year previously at the Vegas Grand Prix, Cadillac were finally given the official approval as the world of Formula One's latest entry for the 2026 season. Establishing the organization from scratch has entailed a frenetic work rate that the team boss, Graeme Lowdon, has equated to the Apollo moon landing. As the sport converges on Las Vegas this race weekend, Cadillac understand the deadline is approaching.
The Countdown to Melbourne
At the last event of the campaign to be staged in the America, with around 100 days to go before they take to the track for the maiden outing in Melbourne at the 2026 season opener, Cadillac have made significant progress but, in what must seem like a monumental task, they are cognizant there will not be sufficient time.
The chief technical officer, Nick Chester, joined the embryonic operation in early 2023 not long after it was established, when the team were without even an confirmed place. He has been at its core ever since and enjoys a wry smile when reflecting on the ride.
“You might get a brief moment looking back at what you’ve done and go: ‘Incredible, what an achievement what the team has created in less than three years,’” Chester states. “But then the very next instant you realize: ‘Yeah, we still have a significant amount to do.’”
A One-of-a-Kind Task
Nick Chester achieved victories at the Renault team in Alonso's title-winning seasons of 2005 and 2006 and was in charge of technical direction at the new Mercedes electric racing team, but no other project has been quite like the mission of launching the all-American Cadillac brand, a works entry supported by the corporate entity, General Motors, into Formula One.
“Creating an Formula One team from the ground up, when are you ever going to get a chance to do that?” he says. “It's unparalleled. In an well-set team you won't have the possibility to alter team culture.”
With each day that passes minds are increasingly concentrated on the approaching moment of truth in Melbourne and targets are being set realistically.
“It's reasonable to expect that any new team joining the grid is likely to start at the back but just making it to the starting line will be an accomplishment in itself,” Graeme Lowdon noted this year and while the CTO shared this view he thought the team had a reputation to build as well.
“The first thing we aim to demonstrate is that we belong on the grid,” he emphasizes. “In order that we turn up and we perform competently. We seek to prove that we are a serious contender performing the proper actions on the track. Once we prove that we are a legitimate team, then we will focus on progression after that.”
Pilot Selection and Hiring Drive
In the summer they recruited Sergio Perez and Bottas as their pilots for 2026, a pair distinguished for their vast knowledge in performing at the front in two of the sport’s biggest teams, Red Bull and Mercedes, and the Finnish driver echoed the mood of fighting spirit.
“Naturally, we are pragmatic,” Bottas stated. “We face a mountain of work to do, and it will likely be probably a tough opening, because it's the top level of motorsport. But we aren't joining to finish last. I am confident given this organization, with these individuals, these people, there is every reason that we won't be able to advance swiftly to a competitive level and taste victory.”
To achieve that goal recruitment has been in top gear, with staff now up to more than 400 and scheduled to attain the target of 600 rapidly. Alongside their current base at Silverstone, the organization are in the midst of finishing an headquarters at Fishers in Indy and there is the General Motors facility in Charlotte, where they are building the plant to manufacture the 2029 engine, planned for 2029 – in the meantime they will operate with Ferrari engines – and the Toyota wind tunnel in Cologne, Germany. It is a intricate organisation, at odds with the movement in Formula One for increased consolidation, and has led to the innovative team culture to which Chester alluded.
Apollo Inspiration
“We've drawn heavily from the Apollo program,” said Lowdon shortly before the British GP in July. “We are pragmatic, we know how tough it is. The timelines, are incredibly tight. Alright, we aren't launching a lunar mission, but the pressure is comparable.”
So they have implemented, as opposed to the traditional management structure, a decentralized management akin to that of the space agency's, where there were a range of project teams all tackling various components of the project at a variety of locations.
“In a system where you follow a procedure where a challenge emerges and they report it to their manager, that leader talks to a leader at a different location, it goes back down the chain, the process is very slow,” notes Chester. “So we empower staff to really get on with it. Avoiding management approval for everything is much smoother and quicker.”
Upcoming Challenges
The effectiveness of this flexible methodology will be tested in the heat of competition in 2026 and there is no little amount at stake for Formula One, too. Cadillac have signed as their development driver the young Californian Colton Herta
