Approximately one year in the past at the Vegas Grand Prix, Cadillac were finally awarded the go-ahead as the world of Formula One's latest entry for the 2026 season. Building the squad from scratch has involved a intense work rate that the principal, Graeme Lowdon, has equated to the Apollo program. As F1 descends on the Vegas strip this race weekend, Cadillac know time is getting tight.
The Tight Timeline to Australia
At the final race of the campaign to be hosted in the US, with approximately three months to go before they make their debut for the maiden outing in Australia at the first race of 2026, Cadillac have advanced rapidly but, in what must seem like a monumental endeavor, they are aware there will never be adequate time.
The CTO, Nick Chester, joined the nascent operation in early 2023 not long after it was formed, when the team were without even an approved entry. He has been at its core since then and has a amused expression when thinking about the journey.
“There might be five minutes thinking back at what the team has achieved and think: ‘Wow, isn’t this fantastic what we have built in a short three-year period,’” he says. “But then the following moment you consider: ‘Yes, we’ve still got a significant amount to do.’”
A Unique Opportunity
The CTO achieved victories at the Renault team in Fernando Alonso’s title-winning years of 2005 and 2006 and was in control of engineering strategy at the recently formed Mercedes electric racing team, but no other project has been quite like the challenge of introducing the all-American Cadillac marque, a factory team backed by the corporate entity, General Motors Corporation, into Formula One.
“Building an F1 team from nothing, when will you ever have the possibility to do that?” he says. “There's nothing comparable. In an well-set team you won't have the chance to alter team culture.”
With each day that passes thoughts are more focused on the looming moment of truth in the Australian GP and expectations are being set realistically.
“One must presume that a brand-new squad entering the sport is probably going to finish last but simply getting on to the grid will be an feat in itself,” Graeme Lowdon stated recently and while Nick Chester agreed with this sentiment he thought the organization had a reputation to build as well.
“The initial objective 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 we are a serious contender executing the proper actions on the track. Once we have demonstrated that our credentials are solid, then we want to show improvement from there on.”
Racing Talent and Hiring Push
In late summer they contracted Sergio Pérez and Valtteri as their drivers for 2026, a pair notable for their priceless expertise in competing at the sharp end in two of the sport’s biggest teams, Red Bull Racing and Mercedes, and the Finnish driver reflected the attitude of fighting spirit.
“Naturally, we are pragmatic,” Bottas stated. “There’s going to be a mountain of work to do, and it will likely be probably a tough opening, because it's the top level of motorsport. But our goal isn't to remain at the rear. I am confident given this organization, with this team, these personnel, there is every reason that we won't be able to advance swiftly up to the pace and enjoy some success.”
To achieve that goal staff acquisition has been in top gear, with staff now up to more than 400 and planned to reach the target of six hundred quickly. Alongside their current base at Silverstone, the squad are in the midst of finishing an headquarters at Fishers in Indianapolis and there is the General Motors facility in Charlotte, North Carolina, where they are building the facility to produce the 2029 engine, planned for 2029 – for now they will run power from Ferrari – and the Toyota's wind tunnel in Germany. It is a sophisticated organisation, at odds with the direction in Formula One for increased consolidation, and has prompted the new cultural approach to which Nick Chester referred.
Space Mission Inspiration
“It’s highly modelled on the NASA moon mission,” remarked the team principal shortly before the British GP in mid-season. “We are pragmatic, we understand how tough it is. The schedules, are incredibly tight. Well, we’re not putting a man on the moon, but the pressure is comparable.”
So they have implemented, rather than the usual hierarchical system, a non-hierarchical approach akin to that of the space agency's, where there were a assortment of project teams all tackling different aspects of the project at a different facilities.
“In a system where you follow a process where someone has a problem and they report it to their manager, that supervisor communicates with a leader at a different location, it is relayed back, it’s super slow,” says the CTO. “Therefore we enable staff to really get on with it. Moving away from management approval for each action is far more efficient and faster.”
What Lies Ahead
The success of this agile approach will be proven in the intensity of Grand Prix in 2026 and there is a considerable amount at stake for the sport, too. The Cadillac team have signed as their development driver the 25-year-old Californian Colton Herta
