A little more than a full year ago at the Vegas Grand Prix, the Cadillac racing team were at last awarded the official approval as the world of Formula One's newest entry for 2026. Establishing the squad from the ground up has required a intense pace of work that the team principal, Graeme Lowdon, has compared to the Apollo moon landing. As F1 descends on the Vegas strip this weekend, Cadillac understand the deadline is approaching.
The Tight Timeline to Melbourne
At the final race of the campaign to be held in the America, with just over 100 days to go before they take to the track for the first time in Australia at the 2026 season opener, the Cadillac F1 project have advanced rapidly but, in what must seem like a sisyphean endeavor, they are aware there will not be enough hours in the day.
The chief technical officer, Nick Chester, became part of the newly formed team in March 2023 soon after it was established, when the squad were without even an confirmed place. He has been at its core from that point and enjoys a amused expression when reflecting on the ride.
“You might get a brief moment thinking back at what you have accomplished and say: ‘Incredible, how impressive what we have built in less than three years,’” he notes. “But then the following moment you consider: ‘Yes, we still have a significant amount to do.’”
A One-of-a-Kind Task
Nick Chester achieved victories at the Renault team in the driver Fernando Alonso's championship-winning seasons of 2005/2006 and was in command of technical direction at the new Mercedes-Benz Formula E team, but no previous experience has truly matched the mission of bringing the quintessentially American Cadillac marque, a manufacturer-backed entry backed by the corporate entity, General Motors, into the pinnacle of motorsport.
“Creating an F1 team from scratch, how often do you get the opportunity to do that?” he says. “There's nothing comparable. In an well-set team you won't have the chance to transform cultural approach.”
With every day that passes minds are more focused on the impending moment of truth in Australia and goals are being set realistically.
“One must presume that a brand-new squad entering the sport is probably going to finish last but merely participating will be an accomplishment in itself,” Lowdon commented this year and while the CTO shared this view he thought the squad had a point to prove as well.
“The initial objective we aim to demonstrate is that we belong on the grid,” he says. “So that we show up and we operate well. We want to show that we are a serious contender doing the right things on the track. Once we’ve shown that our credentials are solid, then we aim to demonstrate forward movement from there on.”
Racing Talent and Hiring Drive
In August they signed Checo Pérez and Bottas as their racers for 2026, a duo remarkable for their invaluable experience in operating at the front in two championship-winning squads, Red Bull Racing and the Mercedes team, and Bottas reflected the mood of fighting spirit.
“Certainly, we are pragmatic,” Bottas stated. “There’s going to be a huge amount of work to do, and we expect most likely a tough opening, because it's the top level of motorsport. But we aren't joining to stay at the back. I am confident with this structure, with these individuals, 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 staff acquisition has been in overdrive, with staff now reaching in excess of 400 and intended to reach the goal of six hundred swiftly. In addition to their existing facility at Silverstone, the squad are in the midst of completing an headquarters at Fishers in the Indianapolis area and there is the GM plant in Charlotte, where they are building the facility to produce the power unit, planned for 2029 – for now they will use Ferrari power units – and the aerodynamic facility in Germany. It is a sophisticated organization, different from the movement in the sport for greater centralisation, and has inspired the fresh organizational mindset to which Nick Chester referred to.
Apollo Inspiration
“We've drawn heavily from the Apollo program,” stated Lowdon shortly before the British GP in the summer. “We have a clear-eyed view, we know how tough it is. The schedules, they’re super, super, super short. Alright, it's not a space expedition, but it can seem that way.”
So they have implemented, instead of the usual hierarchical system, a non-hierarchical approach similar to that of Nasa’s, where there were a range of specialist groups all focusing on distinct elements of the mission across a multiple sites.
“When you must follow a process where an issue arises and they escalate it to their manager, that leader consults a supervisor at a different location, it goes back down the chain, it’s super slow,” explains the CTO. “We give authority to people to really get on with it. Avoiding managerial sign-off for everything is much smoother and more rapid.”
Upcoming Challenges
The success of this nimble methodology will be tested in the pressure of racing when the season begins and there is no little amount at stake for the sport, too. The Cadillac team have recruited as their test driver the young American Colton Herta
