Just over one year previously at the Vegas Grand Prix, the Cadillac racing team were finally granted the official approval as the world of Formula One's newest participant for 2026. Establishing the squad from scratch has required a frenetic operating tempo that the team boss, Graeme Lowdon, has compared to the Apollo program. As F1 descends on Vegas this race weekend, Cadillac understand the deadline is approaching.
The Race Against Time to Melbourne
At the final race of the campaign to be held in the America, with approximately three months to go before they take to the track for the first time in Australia at the 2026 season opener, Cadillac have come on in leaps and bounds but, in what must seem like a never-ending task, they are conscious there will not be enough hours in the day.
The CTO, Nick Chester, became part of the newly formed operation in March 2023 soon after it was created, when the team were without even an approved entry. He has been at its heart from that point and gets a knowing grin when reflecting on the experience.
“There might be a brief moment looking back at what you’ve done and go: ‘Amazing, how impressive what we have built in a short three-year period,’” he notes. “Then the very next instant you consider: ‘Yes, we’ve still got a great deal to do.’”
An Unprecedented Task
Chester achieved victories at the Renault team in Alonso's victorious years of 2005/2006 and was in command of technical direction at the recently formed Mercedes-Benz Formula E team, but nothing has quite compared with the mission of bringing the iconic American Cadillac brand, a works entry sponsored by the owner, General Motors Corporation, into F1.
“Creating an Formula One team from nothing, how often do you get the opportunity to do that?” Chester remarks. “There's nothing comparable. In an existing team you rarely get the possibility to change team culture.”
With every day that goes by minds are sharper on the approaching critical moment in the Australian GP and expectations are being managed.
“You have to assume that any new team joining the grid is probably going to finish last but merely participating will be an achievement in itself,” Graeme Lowdon noted earlier this year and while Chester shared this view he believed the squad had a reputation to build as well.
“The initial objective we want to show is that we belong on the grid,” he says. “So that we show up and we perform competently. We want to show that we are a serious contender doing the correct procedures on the track. Once we prove that we’re really credible, then we aim to demonstrate progression from there on.”
Racing Talent and Team Building Drive
In the summer they signed Sergio Pérez and Valtteri as their pilots for the 2026 season, a pair distinguished for their invaluable experience in performing at the sharp end in two championship-winning squads, Red Bull Racing and Mercedes-AMG, and the Finnish driver reflected the mood of determined optimism.
“Of course, we’re realistic,” he commented. “There’s going to be a mountain of work to do, and we expect probably a challenging beginning, because this is Formula One. But we’re not there to remain at the rear. I am confident given this organization, with this team, these people, it's entirely possible we shouldn’t be able to progress rapidly up to the pace and achieve good results.”
To that end staff acquisition has been in top gear, with personnel now up to over 400 and scheduled to hit the goal of 600 swiftly. Complementing their present headquarters at the Silverstone circuit, the organization are in the midst of completing an HQ at Fishers, Indiana in the Indianapolis area and there is the GM works in Charlotte, where they are developing the facility to produce the power unit, set for the 2029 season – in the meantime they will operate with Ferrari power units – and the aerodynamic facility in Germany. It is a intricate structure, different from the trend in F1 for increased consolidation, and has prompted the innovative team culture to which Chester alluded.
Apollo Model
“It's closely based on the Apollo program,” stated Graeme Lowdon shortly before the British Grand Prix in July. “We’re realistic, we know how difficult it is. The timelines, they’re super, super, super short. Alright, we aren't launching a lunar mission, but it can seem that way.”
So they have implemented, as opposed to the usual hierarchical system, a flat management structure similar to that of Nasa’s, where there were a variety of project teams all working on various components of the program across a variety of locations.
“In a system where you follow a procedure where a challenge emerges and they report it to their team leader, that manager consults a manager somewhere else, it is relayed back, it’s super slow,” says the CTO. “So we empower staff to handle things directly. Moving away from managerial sign-off for all decisions is far more efficient and faster.”
What Lies Ahead
The success of this nimble strategy will be tested in the pressure of racing next season and there is a significant degree at stake for the sport, too. Cadillac have taken on as their development driver the young American Colton Herta
