Approximately twelve months in the past at the Las Vegas Grand Prix, Cadillac were finally given the green light as the world of Formula One's newest entrant for 2026. Constructing the squad from scratch has involved a frenetic pace of work that the team boss, Graeme Lowdon, has equated to the Apollo moon landing. As F1 descends on Las Vegas this weekend, Cadillac understand time is getting tight.
The Race Against Time to Melbourne
At the final race of the campaign to be hosted in the US, with just over three months to go before they make their debut for the inaugural time in Melbourne at the first race of 2026, Cadillac have advanced rapidly but, in what must seem like a sisyphean task, they are conscious there will not be sufficient time.
The technical director, Nick Chester, came aboard the newly formed operation in March 2023 soon after it was formed, when the squad were without even an confirmed place. He has been at its heart ever since and has a knowing grin when thinking about the ride.
“You might get a short period reflecting at what you have accomplished and say: ‘Wow, what an achievement what we have built in a short three-year period,’” Chester states. “And then the very next instant you think: ‘Yeah, we’ve still got quite a lot to do.’”
A Unique Opportunity
Chester had success at the Renault team in Alonso's title-winning seasons of 2005 and 2006 and was in command of technical direction at the then-new Mercedes electric racing team, but no previous experience has been quite like the challenge of introducing the all-American Cadillac brand, a factory team supported by the owner, GM, into Formula One.
“Creating an Formula One team from scratch, how often do you get the opportunity to do that?” he observes. “It is like nothing else. In an well-set team you don’t get the chance to alter organizational mindset.”
With each day that passes thoughts are increasingly concentrated on the looming critical moment in Melbourne and targets are being set realistically.
“It's reasonable to expect that any new team entering the sport is probably going to finish last but merely participating will be an feat in itself,” Graeme Lowdon commented this year and while Chester shared this view he felt the team had a reputation to build as well.
“Our primary goal we aim to demonstrate is that we belong on the grid,” he says. “So we show up and we function efficiently. We aim to demonstrate that we are a serious contender doing the right things on the circuit. After we’ve shown that we’re really credible, then we will focus on improvement after that.”
Pilot Selection and Hiring Effort
In August they contracted Checo Pérez and Valtteri as their drivers for 2026, a tandem remarkable for their priceless expertise in performing at the front in two of the sport’s biggest teams, the Red Bull team and Mercedes-AMG, and Bottas expressed the sentiment of determined optimism.
“Certainly, we have a realistic outlook,” he commented. “We face a massive task 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 stay at the back. I am confident with this structure, with this group, this staff, it's entirely possible we won't be able to advance swiftly to the front and achieve good results.”
To achieve that goal hiring has been in top gear, with personnel now at in excess of 400 and planned to attain the goal of 600 quickly. Complementing their existing facility at Silverstone, the team are in the process of building an headquarters at Fishers, Indiana in Indy and there is the GM plant in North Carolina, where they are constructing the center to build the new engine, scheduled for 2029 – until then they will operate with Ferrari power units – and the Toyota wind tunnel in Germany. It is a intricate organization, different from the movement in F1 for greater centralisation, and has led to the new cultural approach to which Chester referred.
Apollo Blueprint
“We've drawn heavily from the NASA moon mission,” remarked the team principal shortly before the British GP in mid-season. “We’re realistic, we know how challenging it is. The timelines, are extremely compressed. OK, it's not a space expedition, but it can seem that way.”
So they have embraced, as opposed to the usual hierarchical system, a decentralized management similar to that of Nasa’s, where there were a range of specialist groups all working on distinct elements of the project in a variety of locations.
“If you have to go through a protocol where someone has a problem and they raise it up to their supervisor, that manager communicates with a leader at a different location, it travels back down, it becomes inefficient,” notes Nick Chester. “We give authority to staff to really get on with it. Eliminating managerial sign-off for each action is far more efficient and quicker.”
Upcoming Challenges
The effectiveness of this agile methodology will be proven in the pressure of racing when the season begins and there is a significant degree at stake for the sport, too. Cadillac have recruited as their test driver the young American Colton Herta
