Approximately a full year in the past at the Nevada Grand Prix, the Cadillac racing team were at last awarded the go-ahead as the world of Formula One's newest entrant for the 2026 season. Building the organization from the ground up has involved a hectic work rate that the team boss, Graeme Lowdon, has likened to the Apollo program. As F1 arrives on Vegas this race weekend, Cadillac are aware time is getting tight.
The Race Against Time to Melbourne
At the season finale of the championship to be held in the United States, with approximately 100 days to go before they take to the track for the first time in Australia at the first race of 2026, Cadillac have made significant progress but, in what must seem like a monumental challenge, they are conscious there will never be adequate time.
The chief technical officer, Nick Chester, joined the nascent team in early 2023 soon after it was established, when the organization were without even an official entry. He has been at its core since then and enjoys a knowing grin when reflecting on the ride.
“You can have a brief moment looking back at what you’ve done and say: ‘Incredible, what an achievement what we’ve done in less than three years,’” he says. “And then the very next instant you realize: ‘Yes, there is still quite a lot to do.’”
An Unprecedented Task
The CTO enjoyed success at Renault in Alonso's championship-winning years of 2005/2006 and was in command of technical direction at the then-new Mercedes Formula E team, but no other project has truly matched the mission of introducing the iconic American Cadillac marque, a works entry backed by the parent company, General Motors, into F1.
“Building an Formula One team from scratch, when are you ever going to get a chance to do that?” Chester remarks. “There's nothing comparable. In an well-set team you don’t get the opportunity to change cultural approach.”
With each passing day that goes by focus are sharper on the looming critical moment in the Australian GP and targets are being set realistically.
“One must presume that any incoming team joining the grid is probably going to finish last but merely participating will be an accomplishment in itself,” the team principal noted earlier this year and while Nick Chester echoed this he believed the squad had a statement to make as well.
“Our primary goal we aim to demonstrate is that we should be there,” Chester explains. “In order that we turn up and we perform competently. We seek to prove that we’re a proper team performing the proper actions on the race track. After we’ve shown that our credentials are solid, then we aim to demonstrate forward movement subsequently.”
Racing Talent and Hiring Drive
In August they contracted Sergio Pérez and Bottas as their drivers for the 2026 season, a duo notable for their vast knowledge in competing at the leading positions in two top-tier teams, Red Bull and Mercedes, and Bottas reflected the mood of determined optimism.
“Certainly, we have a realistic outlook,” Bottas stated. “We have a huge amount of work to do, and we expect most likely a challenging beginning, because it is F1. But our goal isn't to finish last. I believe with this structure, with this group, these people, it's entirely possible we won't be able to advance swiftly to a competitive level and enjoy some success.”
To that end hiring has been in full swing, with employees now at more than 400 and intended to attain the goal of six hundred rapidly. Complementing their existing facility at the Silverstone circuit, the team are in the process of finishing an main base at the Fishers location in Indy and there is the General Motors facility in Charlotte, where they are constructing the facility to build the 2029 engine, set for the 2029 season – until then they will operate with Ferrari engines – and the aerodynamic facility in Germany. It is a intricate organization, different from the direction in F1 for increased consolidation, and has inspired the innovative team culture to which the CTO referred.
Apollo Blueprint
“We've drawn heavily from the Apollo program,” said Lowdon just before the British Grand Prix in July. “We’re realistic, we recognize how tough it is. The timelines, they’re super, super, super short. Alright, it's not a space expedition, but it feels like it sometimes.”
So they have adopted, as opposed to the usual hierarchical system, a flat management structure similar to that of Nasa’s, where there were a variety of specialist groups all working 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 talks to a supervisor in another department, it is relayed back, it’s super slow,” notes Chester. “We give authority to team members to really get on with it. Avoiding management approval for everything is far more efficient and more rapid.”
What Lies Ahead
The efficacy of this nimble approach will be proven in the pressure of racing when the season begins and there is no little amount on the line for Formula One, too. Cadillac have taken on as their test driver the young American Colton Herta
