A little more than a full year in the past at the Las Vegas Grand Prix, Cadillac were ultimately given the green light as the world of Formula One's newest entry for the 2026 season. Constructing the squad from nothing has required a intense operating tempo that the team boss, Graeme Lowdon, has equated to the NASA lunar mission. As Formula One arrives on the Vegas strip this weekend, Cadillac understand the clock is ticking.
The Countdown to Australia
At the final race of the championship to be staged in the America, with just over three months to go before they take to the track for the maiden outing in Australia at the 2026 season opener, the Cadillac F1 project have come on in leaps and bounds but, in what must seem like a monumental endeavor, they are aware there will never be adequate time.
The chief technical officer, Nick Chester, became part of the embryonic project in the spring of 2023 soon after it was formed, when the squad were without even an confirmed place. He has been at its center from that point and has a wry smile when considering the ride.
“There might be a short period thinking back at what you’ve done and go: ‘Incredible, what an achievement what we have built in less than three years,’” he says. “But then the very next instant you think: ‘Well, we still have a great deal to do.’”
An Unprecedented Task
The CTO enjoyed success at the Renault team in Alonso's title-winning years of the mid-2000s and was in control of technical direction at the new Mercedes Formula E team, but no previous experience has been quite like the task of introducing the all-American Cadillac name, a manufacturer-backed entry backed by the parent company, GM, into the pinnacle of motorsport.
“Establishing an Formula One team from the ground up, when are you ever going to get a chance to do that?” Chester remarks. “It is like nothing else. In an established team you don’t get the chance to transform team culture.”
With each day that elapses focus are more focused on the approaching critical moment in the Australian GP and targets are being set realistically.
“One must presume that any new team coming in is going to be last but simply getting on to the grid will be an accomplishment in itself,” Lowdon commented this year and while Nick Chester agreed with this sentiment he thought the team had a statement to make as well.
“Our primary goal we aim to demonstrate is that we deserve to be there,” he says. “In order that we arrive and we operate well. We want to show that this is a professional operation performing the proper actions on the circuit. After we’ve shown that our credentials are solid, then we will focus on forward movement from there on.”
Racing Talent and Recruitment Drive
In August they contracted Checo Pérez and Bottas as their drivers for 2026, a pair notable for their invaluable experience in operating at the front in two top-tier teams, Red Bull Racing and Mercedes-AMG, and Bottas echoed the attitude of fighting spirit.
“Naturally, we’re realistic,” he said. “We have a huge amount of work to do, and it will likely be most likely a tough opening, because this is Formula One. But our goal isn't to remain at the rear. I believe with this setup, with this team, these people, it's entirely possible we won't be able to advance swiftly up to the pace and taste victory.”
To that end hiring has been in full swing, with employees now reaching in excess of 400 and scheduled to attain the goal of 600 members swiftly. Complementing their existing facility at the UK base, the squad are in the phase of finishing an main base at the Fishers location in Indy and there is the GM works in North Carolina, where they are building the center to produce the new engine, scheduled for 2029 – for now they will use power from Ferrari – and the aerodynamic facility in Cologne. It is a complex organisation, at odds with the movement in Formula One for more centralization, and has inspired the new cultural approach to which Nick Chester alluded.
Apollo Model
“It’s highly modelled on the NASA moon mission,” stated Graeme Lowdon ahead of the British Grand Prix in mid-season. “We have a clear-eyed view, we understand how challenging it is. The deadlines, are extremely compressed. Alright, it's not a space expedition, but the pressure is comparable.”
So they have implemented, as opposed to the conventional chain of command, a non-hierarchical approach akin to that of NASA's, where there were a range of specialist groups all working on distinct elements of the mission at a variety of locations.
“If you have to go through a process where someone has a problem and they raise it up to their supervisor, that manager consults a manager in another department, it travels back down, the process is very slow,” says Chester. “We give authority to staff to handle things directly. Avoiding managerial sign-off for all decisions is so much cleaner and faster.”
What Lies Ahead
The effectiveness of this agile approach will be proven in the pressure of racing when the season begins and there is a considerable amount riding on this for the sport, too. The Cadillac team have recruited as their development driver the 25-year-old American Colton Herta
