A little more than one year previously at the Las Vegas Grand Prix, Cadillac were at last granted the official approval as the world of Formula One's most recent participant for 2026. Constructing the squad from nothing has required a intense work rate that the team principal, Graeme Lowdon, has likened to the Apollo program. As F1 descends on Vegas this race weekend, Cadillac are aware time is getting tight.
The Countdown to Australia
At the final race of the season to be held in the United States, with just over three months to go before they take to the track for the inaugural time in Australia at the first race of 2026, Cadillac have advanced rapidly but, in what must seem like a sisyphean task, they are conscious there will not be sufficient time.
The chief technical officer, Nick Chester, came aboard the newly formed project in early 2023 soon after it was created, when the team were without even an confirmed place. He has been at its core since then and has a wry smile when reflecting on the ride.
“You might get a brief moment looking back at what you have accomplished and go: ‘Incredible, isn’t this fantastic what we’ve done in less than three years,’” he says. “Then the next minute you think: ‘Well, there is still a significant amount to do.’”
A Unique Challenge
The CTO had success at the Renault team in the driver Fernando Alonso's victorious years of 2005/2006 and was in control of technical development at the new Mercedes electric racing team, but no previous experience has quite compared with the task of bringing the quintessentially American Cadillac name, a factory team backed by the parent company, GM, into F1.
“Building an grand prix team from nothing, when are you ever going to get a chance to do that?” he says. “It's unparalleled. In an established team you rarely get the possibility to transform cultural approach.”
With each passing day that passes thoughts are increasingly concentrated on the looming critical moment in the Australian GP and targets are being set realistically.
“It's reasonable to expect that a brand-new squad joining the grid is going to be last but simply getting on to the grid will be an accomplishment in itself,” Graeme Lowdon noted this year and while Nick Chester agreed with this sentiment he thought the squad had a reputation to build as well.
“The initial objective we intend to prove is that we should be there,” he says. “In order that we turn up and we function efficiently. We want to show that this is a professional operation executing the proper actions on the race track. When we’ve shown that our credentials are solid, then we will focus on improvement after that.”
Pilot Selection and Hiring Drive
In late summer they contracted Sergio Pérez and Valtteri as their pilots for 2026, a duo distinguished for their vast knowledge in performing at the leading positions in two of the sport’s biggest teams, Red Bull and the Mercedes team, and Bottas reflected the sentiment of fighting spirit.
“Of course, we have a realistic outlook,” he said. “There’s going to be a massive task to do, and we expect almost certainly a difficult start, because this is Formula One. But we’re not there to finish last. In my view with this structure, with these individuals, these personnel, there is every reason that we won't be able to progress rapidly to a competitive level and enjoy some success.”
To achieve that goal recruitment has been in full swing, with personnel now reaching in excess of 400 and intended to reach the target of six hundred rapidly. Alongside their current base at the UK base, the team are in the process of completing an HQ at Fishers in Indianapolis and there is the General Motors facility in Charlotte, North Carolina, where they are developing the plant to build the new engine, scheduled for 2029 – until then they will use power from Ferrari – and the Toyota's wind tunnel in Germany. It is a complex organisation, different from the movement in the sport for increased consolidation, and has prompted the new cultural approach to which Chester referred.
Space Mission Model
“We've drawn heavily from the Apollo project,” remarked the team principal ahead of the British GP in mid-season. “We are pragmatic, we understand how challenging it is. The timelines, they’re super, super, super short. OK, it's not a space expedition, but the pressure is comparable.”
So they have implemented, instead of the conventional chain of command, a non-hierarchical approach comparable to that of the space agency's, where there were a range of project teams all focusing on various components of the project at a variety of locations.
“If you have to go through a protocol where a challenge emerges and they report it to their manager, that leader talks to a manager at a different location, it is relayed back, it’s super slow,” explains Nick Chester. “So we empower people to handle things directly. Avoiding management approval for all decisions is much smoother and more rapid.”
What Lies Ahead
The effectiveness of this flexible methodology will be tested in the heat of competition when the season begins and there is no little amount at stake for F1, too. The Cadillac team have recruited as their development driver the young American Colton Herta
