Approximately twelve months ago at the Nevada Grand Prix, Cadillac were ultimately given the official approval as F1's latest entrant for the 2026 season. Establishing the organization from scratch has entailed a hectic operating tempo that the principal, Graeme Lowdon, has compared to the Apollo moon landing. As Formula One descends on the Vegas strip this race weekend, the team know the deadline is approaching.
The Countdown to Melbourne
At the last event of the season to be held in the America, with just over a hundred days to go before they make their debut for the inaugural time in Melbourne at the first race of 2026, the Cadillac F1 project have made significant progress but, in what must seem like a sisyphean task, they are aware there will never be sufficient time.
The CTO, Nick Chester, became part of the embryonic team in the spring of 2023 not long after it was created, when the organization were without even an confirmed place. He has been at its center ever since and has a knowing grin when considering the journey.
“You might get five minutes reflecting at what you’ve done and think: ‘Wow, isn’t this fantastic what the team has created in under three years,’” he says. “And then the very next instant you realize: ‘Yeah, there is still quite a lot to do.’”
A Unique Challenge
Nick Chester had success at the Renault team in Fernando Alonso’s championship-winning campaigns of 2005/2006 and was in command of engineering strategy at the new Mercedes Formula E team, but no previous experience has truly matched the challenge of launching the all-American Cadillac marque, a manufacturer-backed entry backed by the parent company, General Motors, into F1.
“Building an F1 team from scratch, when are you ever going to get a chance to do that?” he says. “It's unparalleled. In an well-set team you won't have the chance to transform cultural approach.”
With every day that passes minds are sharper on the impending moment of truth in Australia and targets are being managed.
“One must presume that a brand-new squad entering the sport is likely to start at the back but simply getting on to the grid will be an feat in itself,” Graeme Lowdon commented recently and while Nick Chester shared this view he felt the squad had a statement to make as well.
“Our primary goal we aim to demonstrate is that we belong on the grid,” he says. “In order that we show up and we function efficiently. We aim to demonstrate that we’re a proper team executing the correct procedures on the race track. After we’ve shown that we’re really credible, then we want to show improvement after that.”
Racing Talent and Hiring Push
In August they contracted Sergio Pérez and Valtteri Bottas as their racers for 2026, a pair distinguished for their invaluable experience in competing at the sharp end in two top-tier teams, Red Bull and Mercedes, and Bottas echoed the sentiment of combative optimism.
“Certainly, we’re realistic,” he said. “We face a massive task to do, and it’s going to be most likely a challenging beginning, because it is F1. But our goal isn't to remain at the rear. I believe with this setup, with this group, these personnel, there is every reason that we shouldn’t be able to progress rapidly up to the pace and taste victory.”
To achieve that goal staff acquisition has been in overdrive, with staff now up to more than 400 and intended to hit the objective of 600 swiftly. In addition to their current base at the UK base, the squad are in the midst of completing an main base at Fishers in the Indianapolis area and there is the General Motors facility in Charlotte, where they are developing the plant to build the power unit, planned for 2029 – for now they will use Ferrari engines – and the Toyota wind tunnel in Cologne, Germany. It is a intricate organisation, contrary to the movement in Formula One for more centralization, and has led to the new cultural approach to which Chester referred.
NASA Inspiration
“It's closely based on the NASA moon mission,” remarked Graeme Lowdon ahead of the British Grand Prix in July. “We’re realistic, we understand how tough it is. The timelines, are incredibly tight. Well, it's not a space expedition, but the pressure is comparable.”
So they have embraced, as opposed to the traditional management structure, a non-hierarchical approach comparable to that of Nasa’s, where there were a variety of Apollo teams all tackling distinct elements of the project in a variety of locations.
“If you have to go through a process where an issue arises and they report it to their manager, that supervisor talks to a manager in another department, it travels back down, the process is very slow,” notes Nick Chester. “So we empower team members to take charge. Eliminating hierarchical consent for everything is much smoother and quicker.”
The Future
The success of this nimble approach will be proven in the pressure of racing in 2026 and there is a considerable amount at stake for the sport, too. Cadillac have signed as their development driver the emerging American Colton Herta
