Just over a full year in the past at the Vegas Grand Prix, Cadillac were finally granted the go-ahead as the world of Formula One's most recent participant for 2026. Establishing the squad from nothing has involved a frenetic operating tempo that the principal, Graeme Lowdon, has equated to the Apollo moon landing. As the sport descends on Las Vegas this race weekend, the team are aware the clock is ticking.
The Race Against Time to Melbourne
At the season finale of the campaign to be held in the United States, with just over 100 days to go before they make their debut for the inaugural time in Melbourne at the first race of 2026, Cadillac have come on in leaps and bounds but, in what must seem like a monumental endeavor, they are conscious there will not be enough hours in the day.
The CTO, Nick Chester, came aboard the newly formed team in March 2023 soon after it was formed, when the organization were without even an confirmed place. He has been at its core since then and gets a knowing grin when thinking about the journey.
“You might get a short period reflecting at what the team has achieved and go: ‘Incredible, isn’t this fantastic what the team has created in a short three-year period,’” he says. “And then the next minute you think: ‘Yeah, we still have quite a lot to do.’”
A One-of-a-Kind Opportunity
Chester had success at the Renault team in Fernando Alonso’s championship-winning campaigns of the mid-2000s and was in control of technical development at the new Mercedes electric racing team, but nothing has been quite like the task of bringing the all-American Cadillac name, a works entry sponsored by the corporate entity, General Motors Corporation, into F1.
“Building an grand prix team from nothing, when are you ever going to get a chance to do that?” Chester remarks. “It's unparalleled. In an established team you don’t get the chance to change team culture.”
With each passing day that passes minds are increasingly concentrated on the impending decisive point in Australia and expectations are being managed.
“You have to assume that any new team entering the sport is probably going to finish last but just making it to the starting line will be an feat in itself,” Graeme Lowdon stated this year and while the CTO agreed with this sentiment he thought the team had a statement to make 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 operate well. We aim to demonstrate that we are a serious contender doing the right things on the track. When we prove that our credentials are solid, then we aim to demonstrate progression from there on.”
Racing Talent and Hiring Drive
In the summer they recruited Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas as their drivers for 2026, a duo remarkable for their priceless expertise in performing at the front in two of the sport’s biggest teams, the Red Bull team and the Mercedes team, and Valtteri Bottas echoed the mood of combative optimism.
“Of course, we have a realistic outlook,” he commented. “We have a mountain of work to do, and it will likely be most likely a difficult start, because it's the top level of motorsport. But our goal isn't to finish last. I am confident with this setup, with these individuals, these people, it's entirely possible we won't be able to progress rapidly to a competitive level and taste victory.”
To achieve that goal staff acquisition has been in full swing, with personnel now up to more than 400 and intended to attain the goal of 600 members quickly. Alongside their current base at the UK base, the organization are in the phase of completing an headquarters at Fishers in Indianapolis and there is the GM plant in Charlotte, where they are developing the center to manufacture the power unit, set for 2029 – for now they will operate with Ferrari engines – and the Toyota's wind tunnel in Germany. It is a complex structure, contrary to the direction in Formula One for greater centralisation, and has led to the fresh organizational mindset to which Nick Chester alluded.
NASA Inspiration
“We've drawn heavily from the Apollo program,” remarked the team principal just before the British GP in mid-season. “We’re realistic, we understand how tough it is. The schedules, they’re super, super, super short. Well, we’re not putting a man on the moon, but it feels like it sometimes.”
So they have embraced, rather than the conventional chain of command, a decentralized management similar to that of the space agency's, where there were a variety of project teams all focusing on distinct elements of the project in a multiple sites.
“In a system where you follow a protocol where someone has a problem and they escalate it to their manager, that manager communicates with a supervisor at a different location, it travels back down, the process is very slow,” explains Nick Chester. “Therefore we enable team members to really get on with it. Eliminating hierarchical consent for each action is far more efficient and quicker.”
What Lies Ahead
The success of this agile methodology will be proven in the pressure of racing in 2026 and there is a considerable amount on the line for the sport, too. Cadillac have recruited as their reserve driver the young American Colton Herta
