Just over a full year previously at the Nevada Grand Prix, Cadillac were ultimately given the go-ahead as the world of Formula One's most recent entry for the 2026 season. Establishing the organization from scratch has entailed a intense pace of work that the principal, Graeme Lowdon, has equated to the Apollo program. As F1 converges on the Vegas strip this race weekend, the team know the clock is ticking.
The Race Against Time to Melbourne
At the final race of the season to be hosted in the America, with just over a hundred days to go before they hit the circuit for the first time in Australia at the first race of 2026, the Cadillac F1 project have come on in leaps and bounds but, in what must seem like a monumental challenge, they are aware there will never be sufficient time.
The CTO, Nick Chester, joined the newly formed operation in the spring of 2023 soon after it was created, when the team were without even an confirmed place. He has been at its core since then and gets a knowing grin when considering the journey.
“You might get a short period thinking back at what you’ve done and say: ‘Wow, isn’t this fantastic what the team has created in under three years,’” he says. “Then the following moment you consider: ‘Yes, there is still a significant amount to do.’”
An Unprecedented Opportunity
Chester enjoyed success at the Renault team in Fernando Alonso’s victorious seasons of 2005 and 2006 and was in charge of engineering strategy at the new Mercedes electric racing team, but nothing has truly matched the mission of launching the iconic American Cadillac marque, a manufacturer-backed entry supported by the corporate entity, General Motors Corporation, into the pinnacle of motorsport.
“Establishing an F1 team from scratch, how often do you get the opportunity to do that?” he says. “It's unparalleled. In an well-set team you don’t get the opportunity to alter cultural approach.”
With each passing day that goes by focus are sharper on the approaching decisive point in Australia and goals are being managed.
“You have to assume that any new team joining the grid is likely to start at the back but simply getting on to the grid will be an feat in itself,” the team principal commented this year and while Chester echoed this he believed the squad had a reputation to build as well.
“The first thing we want to show is that we belong on the grid,” he says. “In order that we turn up and we function efficiently. We want to show that we’re a proper team doing the right things on the track. Once we’ve shown that we’re really credible, then we aim to demonstrate progression from there on.”
Pilot Selection and Recruitment Drive
In the summer they contracted Sergio Perez and Bottas as their drivers for the 2026 season, a tandem remarkable for their invaluable experience in competing at the front in two top-tier teams, the Red Bull team and the Mercedes team, and Valtteri Bottas expressed the sentiment of fighting spirit.
“Naturally, we’re realistic,” he said. “We face a huge amount of work to do, and we expect most likely a challenging beginning, because this is Formula One. But our goal isn't to remain at the rear. In my view given this organization, with this group, these personnel, there is every reason that we can't manage to advance swiftly up to the pace and enjoy some success.”
To that end recruitment has been in top gear, with personnel now at more than 400 and intended to reach the goal of 600 members rapidly. In addition to their existing facility at Silverstone, the organization are in the phase of building an main base at Fishers in the Indianapolis area and there is the GM plant in Charlotte, where they are building the facility to build the new engine, planned for 2029 – in the meantime they will use power from Ferrari – and the Toyota's wind tunnel in Cologne. It is a sophisticated organization, different from the trend in F1 for increased consolidation, and has led to the fresh organizational mindset to which Chester alluded.
NASA Blueprint
“It’s highly modelled on the NASA moon mission,” stated the team principal ahead of the British GP in mid-season. “We have a clear-eyed view, we understand how tough it is. The deadlines, are incredibly tight. OK, it's not a space expedition, but it feels like it sometimes.”
So they have implemented, as opposed to the traditional management structure, a flat management structure similar to that of the space agency's, where there were a variety of specialist groups all tackling different aspects of the project at a different facilities.
“In a system where you follow a protocol where someone has a problem and they escalate it to their team leader, that manager talks to a leader somewhere else, it goes back down the chain, the process is very slow,” notes Chester. “Therefore we enable team members to really get on with it. Eliminating managerial sign-off for all decisions is so much cleaner and quicker.”
What Lies Ahead
The efficacy of this flexible approach will be tested in the intensity of Grand Prix in 2026 and there is no little amount at stake for the sport, too. The Cadillac team have taken on as their test driver the emerging Californian Colton Herta
