Just over twelve months previously at the Nevada Grand Prix, Cadillac were at last awarded the go-ahead as the world of Formula One's newest participant for 2026. Establishing the organization from scratch has entailed a frenetic operating tempo that the team principal, Graeme Lowdon, has equated to the Apollo moon landing. As the sport descends on Las Vegas this weekend, Cadillac know time is getting tight.
The Countdown to Australia
At the final race of the campaign to be staged in the United States, with just over a hundred days to go before they hit the circuit for the inaugural time in Melbourne at the first race of 2026, the Cadillac F1 project have advanced rapidly but, in what must seem like a monumental task, they are cognizant there will never be adequate time.
The technical director, Nick Chester, joined the embryonic project in March 2023 not long after it was created, when the squad were without even an official entry. He has been at its heart since then and enjoys a wry smile when reflecting on the journey.
“You might get a brief moment thinking back at what you have accomplished and think: ‘Incredible, how impressive what we’ve done in under three years,’” he notes. “And then the very next instant you consider: ‘Yes, we still have quite a lot to do.’”
A Unique Challenge
Chester achieved victories at the Renault team in Alonso's title-winning seasons of 2005 and 2006 and was in command of technical development at the then-new Mercedes-Benz Formula E team, but nothing has truly matched the task of introducing the iconic American Cadillac brand, a factory team backed by the corporate entity, General Motors, into Formula One.
“Establishing an F1 team from nothing, how often do you get the opportunity to do that?” he observes. “There's nothing comparable. In an existing team you don’t get the opportunity to change team culture.”
With each passing day that passes focus are increasingly concentrated on the approaching moment of truth in Melbourne and targets are being managed.
“You have to assume that a brand-new squad coming in is probably going to finish last but simply getting on to the grid will be an achievement in itself,” the team principal noted recently and while Nick Chester echoed this he felt the squad had a point to prove as well.
“The initial objective we want to show is that we deserve to be there,” he says. “So we show up and we function efficiently. We seek to prove that this is a professional operation executing the proper actions on the track. When we’ve shown that our credentials are solid, then we aim to demonstrate progression from there on.”
Driver Lineup and Team Building Effort
In late summer they contracted Sergio Pérez and Valtteri Bottas as their pilots for the 2026 season, a tandem notable for their invaluable experience in performing at the sharp end in two top-tier teams, the Red Bull team and the Mercedes team, and the Finnish driver expressed the mood of determined optimism.
“Naturally, we have a realistic outlook,” Bottas stated. “We face a mountain of work to do, and it’s going to be probably a difficult start, because this is Formula One. But we aren't joining to remain at the rear. In my view with this structure, with these individuals, these people, there is every reason that we shouldn’t be able to get relatively quickly up to the pace and enjoy some success.”
To that end staff acquisition has been in top gear, with personnel now at more than 400 and scheduled to hit the target of six hundred swiftly. Complementing their existing facility at Silverstone, the squad are in the midst of building an headquarters at the Fishers location in the Indianapolis area and there is the GM plant in Charlotte, where they are developing the center to produce the 2029 engine, set for the 2029 season – for now they will operate with power from Ferrari – and the Toyota's wind tunnel in Cologne. It is a intricate organisation, contrary to the direction in F1 for more centralization, and has led to the fresh organizational mindset to which the CTO referred to.
NASA Blueprint
“It’s highly modelled on the Apollo program,” said the team principal ahead of the Silverstone race in the summer. “We have a clear-eyed view, we understand how tough it is. The schedules, are incredibly tight. Alright, we aren't launching a lunar mission, but the pressure is comparable.”
So they have implemented, rather than the traditional management structure, a flat management structure comparable to that of NASA's, where there were a range of project teams all working on distinct elements of the mission across a multiple sites.
“In a system where you follow a procedure where an issue arises and they raise it up to their supervisor, that leader talks to a supervisor in another department, it is relayed back, it’s super slow,” says Nick Chester. “So we empower people to take charge. Eliminating hierarchical consent for all decisions is much smoother and more rapid.”
What Lies Ahead
The effectiveness of this nimble approach will be evaluated in the pressure of racing when the season begins and there is a significant degree riding on this for the sport, too. The Cadillac team have recruited as their reserve driver the young American Colton Herta
