Just over a full year in the past at the Vegas Grand Prix, the Cadillac racing team were at last awarded the green light as the world of Formula One's newest entry for 2026. Building the team from scratch has involved a intense pace of work that the principal, Graeme Lowdon, has equated to the NASA lunar mission. As F1 descends on Las Vegas this weekend, Cadillac know the clock is ticking.
The Tight Timeline to Australia
At the final race of the championship to be hosted in the US, with just over 100 days to go before they make their debut for the inaugural time in Australia at the 2026 season opener, Cadillac have advanced rapidly but, in what must seem like a monumental task, they are conscious there will not be enough hours in the day.
The technical director, Nick Chester, joined the embryonic project in the spring of 2023 shortly after it was created, when the organization were without even an approved entry. He has been at its core from that point and has a knowing grin when thinking about the ride.
“You can have a short period thinking back at what you’ve done and think: ‘Incredible, how impressive what we’ve done in less than three years,’” he notes. “But then the following moment you realize: ‘Yes, we’ve still got a great deal to do.’”
A Unique Challenge
Nick Chester had success at the Renault team in Alonso's title-winning seasons of 2005 and 2006 and was in control of technical development at the new Mercedes Formula E team, but no previous experience has been quite like the task of introducing the all-American Cadillac name, a factory team backed by the owner, General Motors Corporation, into Formula One.
“Building an grand prix team from scratch, how often do you get the opportunity to do that?” he observes. “It is like nothing else. In an existing team you won't have the possibility to change team culture.”
With each passing day that passes minds are sharper on the approaching critical moment in the Australian GP and expectations are being set realistically.
“One must presume that any new team coming in is going to be last but simply getting on to the grid will be an feat in itself,” the team principal commented recently and while Chester echoed this he believed the squad had a statement to make as well.
“The initial objective we intend to prove is that we deserve to be there,” he says. “So we show up and we operate well. We aim to demonstrate that we are a serious contender doing the right things on the circuit. After we prove that we are a legitimate team, then we want to show improvement subsequently.”
Driver Lineup and Team Building Effort
In the summer they recruited Checo Pérez and Valtteri Bottas as their racers for 2026, a tandem remarkable for their vast knowledge in operating at the sharp end in two of the sport’s biggest teams, Red Bull and the Mercedes team, and the Finnish driver expressed the mood of determined optimism.
“Certainly, we’re realistic,” Bottas stated. “We face a huge amount 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 stay at the back. In my view given this organization, with these individuals, these personnel, it's entirely possible we won't be able to progress rapidly up to the pace and achieve good results.”
To that end recruitment has been in full swing, with staff now reaching in excess of 400 and planned to reach the goal of 600 swiftly. Complementing their existing facility at the Silverstone circuit, the team are in the process of finishing an headquarters at the Fishers location in Indy and there is the GM plant in Charlotte, where they are developing the plant to manufacture the 2029 engine, planned for 2029 – for now they will run Ferrari engines – and the Toyota wind tunnel in Germany. It is a sophisticated structure, contrary to the trend in Formula One for increased consolidation, and has led to the fresh organizational mindset to which Nick Chester alluded.
NASA Model
“It's closely based on the Apollo program,” stated Graeme Lowdon ahead of the British GP in mid-season. “We’re realistic, we understand how tough it is. The schedules, they’re super, super, super short. Alright, it's not a space expedition, but it feels like it sometimes.”
So they have embraced, rather than the traditional management structure, a non-hierarchical approach akin to that of Nasa’s, where there were a range of Apollo teams all focusing on different aspects of the mission across a variety of locations.
“When you must follow a process where a challenge emerges and they escalate it to their manager, that leader talks to a leader at a different location, it travels back down, it becomes inefficient,” notes Nick Chester. “We give authority to people to take charge. Eliminating hierarchical consent for everything is much smoother and quicker.”
What Lies Ahead
The success of this agile methodology will be proven in the heat of competition in 2026 and there is no little amount at stake for Formula One, too. Cadillac have signed as their test driver the young American Colton Herta
