A little more than twelve months ago at the Nevada Grand Prix, Cadillac were at last given the go-ahead as Formula One’s most recent entry for 2026. Constructing the organization from nothing has entailed a hectic work rate that the principal, Graeme Lowdon, has equated to the Apollo program. As Formula One arrives on Las Vegas this weekend, Cadillac understand time is getting tight.
The Countdown to Melbourne
At the final race of the season to be staged in the US, with just over three months to go before they make their debut for the first time in Melbourne at the first race of 2026, Cadillac have come on in leaps and bounds but, in what must seem like a sisyphean challenge, they are cognizant there will not be enough hours in the day.
The CTO, Nick Chester, joined the embryonic operation in the spring of 2023 not long after it was created, when the organization were without even an official entry. He has been at its heart from that point and has a amused expression when reflecting on the ride.
“There might be a brief moment reflecting at what you’ve done and say: ‘Incredible, what an achievement what we have built in less than three years,’” he notes. “And then the following moment you realize: ‘Well, we’ve still got quite a lot to do.’”
An Unprecedented Task
Nick Chester had success at Renault in Alonso's title-winning seasons of 2005/2006 and was in command of technical development at the then-new Mercedes electric racing team, but no other project has been quite like the challenge of bringing the quintessentially American Cadillac name, a manufacturer-backed entry sponsored by the owner, General Motors Corporation, into Formula One.
“Building an grand prix team from the ground up, when are you ever going to get a chance to do that?” Chester remarks. “It's unparalleled. In an established team you rarely get the chance to alter cultural approach.”
With each passing day that elapses focus are more focused on the looming moment of truth in Australia and goals are being managed.
“One must presume 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,” Lowdon stated earlier this year and while Nick Chester agreed with this sentiment he thought the squad had a reputation to build as well.
“The first thing we want to show is that we belong on the grid,” he emphasizes. “In order that we turn up and we perform competently. We want to show that we’re a proper team doing the correct procedures on the race track. After we have demonstrated that we’re really credible, then we will focus on improvement from there on.”
Racing Talent and Recruitment Push
In late summer they recruited Sergio Perez and Valtteri as their racers for 2026, a duo notable for their invaluable experience in performing at the front in two top-tier teams, Red Bull Racing and Mercedes, and Bottas echoed the mood of combative optimism.
“Of course, we are pragmatic,” he said. “There’s going to be a huge amount of work to do, and it’s going to be almost certainly a difficult start, because it's the top level of motorsport. But our goal isn't to stay at the back. I believe with this setup, with these individuals, this staff, there is every reason that we won't be able to get relatively quickly to the front and taste victory.”
To achieve that goal hiring has been in overdrive, with personnel now at more than 400 and intended to reach the goal of 600 members rapidly. Complementing their existing facility at Silverstone, the team are in the phase of completing an main base at the Fishers location in the Indianapolis area and there is the GM works in Charlotte, where they are building the center to manufacture the new engine, set for 2029 – for now they will use power from Ferrari – and the aerodynamic facility in Cologne, Germany. It is a intricate organisation, contrary to the direction in F1 for more centralization, and has led to the innovative team culture to which Chester referred.
Apollo Inspiration
“We've drawn heavily from the Apollo project,” remarked Graeme Lowdon just before the British Grand Prix in July. “We have a clear-eyed view, we recognize how difficult it is. The schedules, are extremely compressed. Alright, we aren't launching a lunar mission, but it feels like it sometimes.”
So they have embraced, rather than the traditional management structure, a non-hierarchical approach similar to that of the space agency's, where there were a variety of project teams all tackling various components of the mission across a multiple sites.
“In a system where you follow a procedure where a challenge emerges and they report it to their team leader, that manager consults a leader in another department, it is relayed back, it’s super slow,” says Chester. “Therefore we enable people to really get on with it. Avoiding managerial sign-off for everything is far more efficient and quicker.”
Upcoming Challenges
The effectiveness of this agile approach will be evaluated in the heat of competition in 2026 and there is a significant degree riding on this for Formula One, too. The Cadillac team have signed as their reserve driver the 25-year-old American Colton Herta
