A little more than a full year ago at the Las Vegas Grand Prix, the Cadillac racing team were ultimately awarded the green light as Formula One’s newest entrant for 2026. Establishing the squad from scratch has entailed a hectic work rate that the team boss, Graeme Lowdon, has likened to the Apollo program. As F1 arrives on Las Vegas this race weekend, the team know the clock is ticking.
The Race Against Time to Australia
At the final race of the season to be staged in the US, with approximately 100 days to go before they hit the circuit for the maiden outing in Australia at the 2026 season opener, the Cadillac F1 project have come on in leaps and bounds but, in what must seem like a never-ending task, they are aware there will not be enough hours in the day.
The CTO, Nick Chester, came aboard the newly formed team in March 2023 shortly after it was created, when the squad were without even an confirmed place. He has been at its heart ever since and enjoys a amused expression when reflecting on the experience.
“You can have a brief moment looking back at what you have accomplished and think: ‘Wow, how impressive what we’ve done in less than three years,’” he notes. “But then the following moment you consider: ‘Well, there is still a significant amount to do.’”
An Unprecedented Challenge
The CTO enjoyed success at the Renault team in Alonso's championship-winning years of 2005 and 2006 and was in control of technical development at the recently formed Mercedes-Benz Formula E team, but no previous experience has been quite like the mission of introducing the iconic American Cadillac brand, a manufacturer-backed entry backed by the corporate entity, GM, into Formula One.
“Building an grand prix team from nothing, when will you ever have the possibility to do that?” Chester remarks. “It's unparalleled. In an established team you won't have the opportunity to transform organizational mindset.”
With every day that passes minds are sharper on the approaching moment of truth in the Australian GP and targets are being set realistically.
“You have to assume that a brand-new squad joining the grid is likely to start at the back but just making it to the starting line will be an achievement in itself,” the team principal stated this year and while Nick Chester shared this view he believed the team had a point to prove as well.
“Our primary goal we intend to prove is that we should be there,” he says. “In order that we show up and we operate well. We aim to demonstrate that we’re a proper team executing the proper actions on the circuit. After we prove that our credentials are solid, then we aim to demonstrate progression after that.”
Driver Lineup and Hiring Effort
In late summer they signed Sergio Pérez and Valtteri Bottas as their pilots for 2026, a duo distinguished for their invaluable experience in operating at the sharp end in two top-tier teams, Red Bull Racing and the Mercedes team, and the Finnish driver expressed the sentiment of fighting spirit.
“Of course, we have a realistic outlook,” he said. “We have a massive task to do, and it’s going to be almost certainly a difficult start, because it's the top level of motorsport. But we aren't joining to remain at the rear. I believe with this setup, with this group, these people, it's entirely possible we won't be able to advance swiftly up to the pace and enjoy some success.”
To achieve that goal recruitment has been in full swing, with employees now at over 400 and planned to hit the goal of 600 members rapidly. Complementing their current base at the Silverstone circuit, the team are in the phase of completing an HQ at the Fishers location in Indianapolis and there is the GM plant in North Carolina, where they are developing the facility to build the 2029 engine, planned for the 2029 season – for now they will use Ferrari engines – and the Toyota's wind tunnel in Cologne. It is a complex organization, different from the movement in Formula One for increased consolidation, and has inspired the new cultural approach to which Nick Chester referred to.
Apollo Model
“It's closely based on the Apollo program,” stated the team principal ahead of the British GP in July. “We are pragmatic, we recognize how tough it is. The deadlines, they’re super, super, super short. OK, it's not a space expedition, but it feels like it sometimes.”
So they have adopted, rather than the usual hierarchical system, a flat management structure akin to that of the space agency's, where there were a range of specialist groups all focusing on distinct elements of the mission across a variety of locations.
“In a system where you follow a procedure where someone has a problem and they report it to their manager, that supervisor consults a supervisor somewhere else, it is relayed back, the process is very slow,” explains Chester. “So we empower people to take charge. Moving away from management approval for all decisions is so much cleaner and quicker.”
The Future
The success of this nimble approach will be evaluated in the intensity of Grand Prix when the season begins and there is no little amount on the line for Formula One, too. Cadillac have taken on as their reserve driver the emerging Californian Colton Herta
