Just over a full year in the past at the Nevada Grand Prix, the Cadillac racing team were at last given the go-ahead as the world of Formula One's newest participant for the 2026 season. Building the squad from scratch has required a frenetic work rate that the team boss, Graeme Lowdon, has likened to the Apollo moon landing. As Formula One descends on Las Vegas this weekend, the team are aware time is getting tight.
The Countdown to Melbourne
At the season finale of the season to be staged in the US, with just over 100 days to go before they make their debut for the maiden outing in Australia at the 2026 opener, the Cadillac F1 project have come on in leaps and bounds but, in what must seem like a sisyphean challenge, they are conscious there will not be enough hours in the day.
The technical director, Nick Chester, came aboard the embryonic operation in March 2023 not long after it was created, when the squad were without even an approved entry. He has been at its heart ever since and gets a amused expression when reflecting on the journey.
“You might get a short period thinking back at what the team has achieved and go: ‘Wow, how impressive what we have built in less than three years,’” he notes. “But then the very next instant you think: ‘Yes, we still have a significant amount to do.’”
A One-of-a-Kind Challenge
Chester achieved victories at Renault in Fernando Alonso’s title-winning seasons of 2005/2006 and was in control of technical direction at the then-new Mercedes electric racing team, but no other project has truly matched the challenge of launching the iconic American Cadillac marque, a works entry sponsored by the owner, GM, into F1.
“Building an grand prix team from the ground up, how often do you get the opportunity to do that?” Chester remarks. “It is like nothing else. In an existing team you won't have the opportunity to alter team culture.”
With each passing day that passes thoughts are increasingly concentrated on the approaching critical moment in Australia and targets are being handled.
“One must presume that any new team joining the grid is going to be last but simply getting on to the grid will be an achievement in itself,” Lowdon commented recently and while the CTO echoed this he thought the team had a reputation to build as well.
“The initial objective we intend to prove is that we deserve to be there,” he says. “In order that we arrive and we operate well. We aim to demonstrate that we are a serious contender performing the right things on the circuit. When we have demonstrated that we are a legitimate team, then we want to show improvement after that.”
Racing Talent and Recruitment Push
In late summer they recruited Checo Pérez and Valtteri as their racers for 2026, a duo notable for their priceless expertise in performing at the leading positions in two top-tier teams, Red Bull Racing and the Mercedes team, and the Finnish driver expressed the mood of fighting spirit.
“Naturally, we’re realistic,” Bottas stated. “There’s going to be a huge amount of work to do, and we expect almost certainly a challenging beginning, because this is Formula One. But we aren't joining to stay at the back. I believe with this structure, with this group, this staff, it's entirely possible we can't manage to progress rapidly to a competitive level and enjoy some success.”
To achieve that goal staff acquisition has been in top gear, with employees now reaching over 400 and intended to attain the goal of 600 swiftly. Alongside their present headquarters at the UK base, the team are in the phase of completing an main base at Fishers, Indiana in the Indianapolis area and there is the GM plant in North Carolina, where they are building the plant to produce the power unit, set for the 2029 season – until then they will operate with power from Ferrari – and the aerodynamic facility in Cologne. It is a complex organization, contrary to the direction in Formula One for increased consolidation, and has led to the innovative team culture to which Nick Chester referred to.
NASA Inspiration
“It's closely based on the NASA moon mission,” remarked Lowdon shortly before the British GP in mid-season. “We are pragmatic, we understand how challenging it is. The timelines, are incredibly tight. Well, it's not a space expedition, but it can seem that way.”
So they have adopted, instead of the usual hierarchical system, a flat management structure comparable to that of the space agency's, where there were a range of Apollo teams all focusing on different aspects of the program at a multiple sites.
“When you must follow a procedure where an issue arises and they report it to their team leader, that supervisor communicates with a supervisor at a different location, it is relayed back, the process is very slow,” explains Chester. “We give authority to team members to really get on with it. Eliminating hierarchical consent for all decisions is much smoother and faster.”
What Lies Ahead
The effectiveness of this agile approach will be evaluated in the pressure of racing next season and there is a considerable amount on the line for Formula One, too. The Cadillac team have recruited as their reserve driver the 25-year-old American Colton Herta
