Approximately a full year previously at the Vegas Grand Prix, Cadillac were finally given the official approval as the world of Formula One's newest entrant for the 2026 season. Building the organization from nothing has required a hectic operating tempo that the principal, Graeme Lowdon, has equated to the Apollo program. As the sport arrives on the Vegas strip this weekend, the team know the clock is ticking.
The Countdown to Melbourne
At the last event of the championship to be held in the United States, with around 100 days to go before they take to the track for the inaugural time in Australia at the first race of 2026, Cadillac have advanced rapidly but, in what must seem like a never-ending endeavor, they are conscious there will never be sufficient time.
The CTO, Nick Chester, became part of the embryonic operation in the spring of 2023 shortly after it was formed, when the organization were without even an official entry. He has been at its heart ever since and gets a knowing grin when considering the journey.
“You might get a brief moment looking back at what you have accomplished and think: ‘Wow, how impressive what we’ve done in a short three-year period,’” Chester states. “But then the following moment you realize: ‘Yeah, there is still a great deal to do.’”
An Unprecedented Task
The CTO had success at the Renault team in the driver Fernando Alonso's title-winning seasons of 2005/2006 and was in control of technical development at the then-new Mercedes-Benz Formula E team, but no previous experience has truly matched the task of introducing the quintessentially American Cadillac marque, a works entry supported by the owner, GM, into F1.
“Building an F1 team from the ground up, 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 opportunity to alter organizational mindset.”
With each passing day that passes focus are increasingly concentrated on the impending decisive point in the Australian GP and targets are being set realistically.
“One must presume that a brand-new squad joining the grid is probably going to finish last but just making it to the starting line will be an feat in itself,” Graeme Lowdon commented recently and while the CTO echoed this he thought the team had a point to prove as well.
“Our primary goal we want to show is that we should be there,” he emphasizes. “In order that we arrive and we function efficiently. We want to show that this is a professional operation doing the right things on the race track. After we’ve shown that we are a legitimate team, then we want to show improvement after that.”
Driver Lineup and Team Building Push
In August they recruited Checo Pérez and Valtteri Bottas as their pilots for 2026, a pair notable for their invaluable experience in competing at the leading positions in two of the sport’s biggest teams, Red Bull and the Mercedes team, and the Finnish driver echoed the sentiment of determined optimism.
“Certainly, we are pragmatic,” he said. “There’s going to be a huge amount of work to do, and it’s going to be most likely a tough opening, because this is Formula One. But we aren't joining to remain at the rear. I am confident with this structure, with this team, these people, it's entirely possible we shouldn’t be able to progress rapidly to a competitive level and enjoy some success.”
To achieve that goal hiring has been in full swing, with employees now up to more than 400 and planned to hit the target of 600 quickly. Alongside their existing facility at the UK base, the organization are in the process of finishing an main base at Fishers in the Indianapolis area and there is the GM plant in Charlotte, where they are developing the plant to produce the 2029 engine, scheduled for 2029 – in the meantime they will operate with Ferrari engines – and the Toyota wind tunnel in Cologne, Germany. It is a complex organization, different from the trend in Formula One for greater centralisation, and has prompted the innovative team culture to which Chester referred.
NASA Blueprint
“It’s highly modelled on the Apollo program,” said the team principal ahead of the Silverstone race in mid-season. “We have a clear-eyed view, we understand how difficult it is. The schedules, are extremely compressed. Alright, we aren't launching a lunar mission, but it can seem that way.”
So they have implemented, as opposed to the conventional chain of command, a non-hierarchical approach akin to that of Nasa’s, where there were a assortment of project teams all working on various components of the project at a variety of locations.
“When you must follow a process where an issue arises and they escalate it to their manager, that manager consults a manager in another department, it travels back down, it becomes inefficient,” explains the CTO. “So we empower team members to take charge. Moving away from managerial sign-off for each action is much smoother and quicker.”
Upcoming Challenges
The success of this agile strategy will be evaluated in the pressure of racing next season and there is a significant degree on the line for Formula One, too. Cadillac have recruited as their development driver the 25-year-old American Colton Herta