Approximately twelve months previously at the Vegas Grand Prix, the Cadillac racing team were finally given the go-ahead as F1's newest entrant for the 2026 season. Establishing the team from nothing has involved a hectic operating tempo that the team boss, Graeme Lowdon, has compared to the Apollo program. As Formula One converges on Vegas this weekend, the team are aware the deadline is approaching.
The Race Against Time to Melbourne
At the last event of the campaign to be held in the US, with approximately three months to go before they hit the circuit for the inaugural time in Australia at the 2026 season opener, Cadillac have advanced rapidly but, in what must seem like a sisyphean endeavor, they are aware there will never be sufficient time.
The chief technical officer, Nick Chester, joined the nascent team in the spring of 2023 soon after it was established, when the organization were without even an confirmed place. He has been at its heart since then and enjoys a knowing grin when reflecting on the experience.
“There might be a brief moment thinking back at what you have accomplished and say: ‘Amazing, isn’t this fantastic what we’ve done in a short three-year period,’” he says. “And then the very next instant you realize: ‘Yes, there is still a significant amount to do.’”
A Unique Challenge
Chester had success at the Renault team in Fernando Alonso’s victorious seasons of 2005/2006 and was in control of technical development at the then-new Mercedes electric racing team, but no previous experience has quite compared with the task of introducing the iconic American Cadillac brand, a factory team supported by the owner, GM, into the pinnacle of motorsport.
“Creating an F1 team from scratch, how often do you get the opportunity to do that?” he observes. “There's nothing comparable. In an well-set team you rarely get the opportunity to change cultural approach.”
With each passing day that passes thoughts are more focused on the impending critical moment in the Australian GP and targets are being handled.
“You have to assume that any new team coming in is probably going to finish last but simply getting on to the grid will be an feat in itself,” the team principal stated this year and while the CTO shared this view he felt the squad had a point to prove as well.
“The first thing we want to show is that we deserve to be there,” he says. “In order that we show up and we function efficiently. We aim to demonstrate that we’re a proper team doing the correct procedures on the track. When we have demonstrated that our credentials are solid, then we will focus on forward movement subsequently.”
Racing Talent and Recruitment Effort
In late summer they recruited Checo Pérez and Bottas as their pilots for 2026, a tandem notable for their priceless expertise in performing at the front in two championship-winning squads, the Red Bull team and the Mercedes team, and Bottas echoed the sentiment of fighting spirit.
“Certainly, we’re realistic,” Bottas stated. “There’s going to be a mountain of work to do, and it’s going to be most likely a tough opening, because it is F1. But we’re not there to stay at the back. I believe with this structure, with this group, these personnel, it's entirely possible we can't manage to get relatively quickly up to the pace and enjoy some success.”
To that end staff acquisition has been in top gear, with personnel now up to in excess of 400 and intended to reach the target of 600 swiftly. Complementing their existing facility at Silverstone, the squad are in the process of completing an headquarters at Fishers in Indianapolis and there is the GM works in Charlotte, North Carolina, where they are building the center to build the new engine, planned for 2029 – until then they will operate with Ferrari power units – and the Toyota's wind tunnel in Germany. It is a intricate organisation, different from the trend in the sport for increased consolidation, and has prompted the fresh organizational mindset to which Nick Chester alluded.
NASA Blueprint
“It's closely based on the Apollo program,” stated Lowdon ahead of the British Grand Prix in July. “We are pragmatic, we understand how challenging it is. The schedules, are incredibly tight. OK, we’re not putting a man on the moon, but the pressure is comparable.”
So they have adopted, as opposed to the traditional management structure, a non-hierarchical approach akin to that of Nasa’s, where there were a variety of Apollo teams all tackling distinct elements of the project in a multiple sites.
“When you must follow a process where an issue arises and they escalate it to their manager, that supervisor talks to a leader in another department, it is relayed back, it becomes inefficient,” notes Nick Chester. “So we empower team members to handle things directly. Avoiding hierarchical consent for each action is much smoother and quicker.”
What Lies Ahead
The efficacy of this agile methodology will be tested in the pressure of racing when the season begins and there is a significant degree riding on this for Formula One, too. The Cadillac team have recruited as their reserve driver the 25-year-old Californian Colton Herta
