A little more than one year previously at the Vegas Grand Prix, Cadillac were at last awarded the green light as the world of Formula One's most recent entry for the 2026 season. Building the squad from scratch has involved a hectic work rate that the team boss, Graeme Lowdon, has likened to the Apollo moon landing. As F1 arrives on Las Vegas this race weekend, the team understand the deadline is approaching.
The Tight Timeline to Australia
At the final race of the campaign to be hosted in the US, with just over three months to go before they take to the track for the first time in Australia at the 2026 season opener, Cadillac have advanced rapidly but, in what must seem like a never-ending endeavor, they are conscious there will never be enough hours in the day.
The chief technical officer, Nick Chester, became part of the nascent operation in March 2023 soon after it was formed, when the team were without even an official entry. He has been at its center ever since and gets a wry smile when considering the ride.
“You can have a brief moment looking back at what the team has achieved and think: ‘Wow, what an achievement what we have built in less than three years,’” Chester states. “Then the very next instant you think: ‘Yes, we still have a great deal to do.’”
A One-of-a-Kind Task
The CTO achieved victories at the Renault team in the driver Fernando Alonso's victorious campaigns of 2005 and 2006 and was in charge of technical development at the recently formed Mercedes-Benz Formula E team, but nothing has truly matched the task of introducing the quintessentially American Cadillac brand, a factory team sponsored by the corporate entity, General Motors Corporation, into F1.
“Building an grand prix team from nothing, how often do you get the opportunity to do that?” he says. “There's nothing comparable. In an established team you rarely get the possibility to change team culture.”
With each day that elapses thoughts are sharper on the looming critical moment in Melbourne and expectations are being handled.
“One must presume that a brand-new squad coming in is probably going to finish last but just making it to the starting line will be an accomplishment in itself,” Lowdon commented recently and while Nick Chester shared this view he believed the team had a reputation to build as well.
“Our primary goal we aim to demonstrate is that we deserve to be there,” he emphasizes. “So that we arrive and we function efficiently. We aim to demonstrate that this is a professional operation performing the correct procedures on the track. After we have demonstrated that we’re really credible, then we want to show progression after that.”
Racing Talent and Hiring Push
In August they contracted Checo Pérez and Valtteri as their racers for 2026, a tandem notable for their vast knowledge in performing at the leading positions in two of the sport’s biggest teams, Red Bull Racing and Mercedes, and Valtteri Bottas echoed the attitude of fighting spirit.
“Naturally, we’re realistic,” he commented. “There’s going to be a huge amount of work to do, and it will likely be most likely a tough opening, 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 team, these people, there’s no reason why we won't be able to progress rapidly up to the pace and achieve good results.”
To that end recruitment has been in full swing, with employees now reaching more than 400 and planned to reach the objective of 600 members rapidly. In addition to their present headquarters at the UK base, the team are in the phase of finishing an headquarters at Fishers, Indiana in Indy and there is the GM works in North Carolina, where they are constructing the center to produce the 2029 engine, planned for 2029 – for now they will use Ferrari power units – and the Toyota's wind tunnel in Cologne. It is a sophisticated structure, at odds with the movement in the sport for more centralization, and has prompted the fresh organizational mindset to which Nick Chester referred.
NASA Model
“It's closely based on the Apollo program,” remarked the team principal just before the British Grand Prix in mid-season. “We have a clear-eyed view, we know how tough it is. The timelines, are incredibly tight. OK, it's not a space expedition, but it can seem that way.”
So they have implemented, as opposed to the traditional management structure, a non-hierarchical approach similar to that of the space agency's, where there were a variety of specialist groups all working on different aspects of the project in a variety of locations.
“When you must follow a procedure where someone has a problem and they raise it up to their manager, that leader communicates with a manager at a different location, it is relayed back, it’s super slow,” says the CTO. “So we empower people to take charge. Avoiding managerial sign-off for everything is far more efficient and quicker.”
What Lies Ahead
The success of this flexible approach will be proven in the heat of competition in 2026 and there is no little amount at stake for the sport, too. Cadillac have recruited as their test driver the young American Colton Herta
