Approximately one year previously at the Nevada Grand Prix, the Cadillac racing team were at last awarded the official approval as F1's newest participant for the 2026 season. Establishing the organization from scratch has involved a hectic work rate that the team boss, Graeme Lowdon, has likened to the Apollo program. As Formula One arrives on the Vegas strip this race weekend, the team know time is getting tight.
The Race Against Time to Australia
At the last event of the campaign to be held in the US, with around 100 days to go before they make their debut for the inaugural time in Australia at the 2026 season opener, the Cadillac F1 project have made significant progress but, in what must seem like a never-ending challenge, they are aware there will not be adequate time.
The CTO, Nick Chester, became part of the embryonic project in early 2023 not long after it was established, when the organization were without even an confirmed place. He has been at its heart since then and enjoys a amused expression when reflecting on the experience.
“There might be a short period reflecting at what you’ve done and think: ‘Wow, how impressive what we have built in less than three years,’” he says. “But then the next minute you consider: ‘Yes, we’ve still got a great deal to do.’”
A Unique Opportunity
Nick Chester achieved victories at the Renault team in Alonso's championship-winning seasons of 2005 and 2006 and was in charge of engineering strategy at the recently formed Mercedes electric racing team, but nothing has truly matched the mission of launching the all-American Cadillac name, a manufacturer-backed entry backed by the corporate entity, General Motors Corporation, into F1.
“Creating an grand prix team from scratch, how often do you get the opportunity to do that?” he observes. “It's unparalleled. In an well-set team you don’t get the opportunity to transform organizational mindset.”
With each day that goes by focus are increasingly concentrated on the looming critical moment in Melbourne and goals are being handled.
“It's reasonable to expect that any new team entering the sport is probably going to finish last but merely participating will be an accomplishment in itself,” the team principal stated recently and while Chester shared this view he believed the squad had a reputation to build as well.
“The first thing we intend to prove is that we belong on the grid,” Chester explains. “So that we turn up and we perform competently. We aim to demonstrate that we are a serious contender performing the proper actions on the circuit. Once we prove that our credentials are solid, then we want to show forward movement from there on.”
Pilot Selection and Hiring Effort
In the summer they contracted Sergio Perez and Bottas as their racers for 2026, a pair distinguished for their vast knowledge in performing at the leading positions in two top-tier teams, Red Bull and Mercedes, and Bottas reflected the mood of fighting spirit.
“Of course, we have a realistic outlook,” Bottas stated. “There’s going to be a mountain of work to do, and we expect most likely a difficult start, because this is Formula One. But our goal isn't to remain at the rear. In my view given this organization, with this team, these people, there’s no reason why we shouldn’t be able to advance swiftly up to the pace and taste victory.”
To achieve that goal recruitment has been in top gear, with staff now reaching more than 400 and planned to reach the objective of 600 quickly. Complementing their present headquarters at the Silverstone circuit, the squad are in the midst of completing an main base at Fishers in the Indianapolis area and there is the General Motors facility in Charlotte, where they are building the facility to manufacture the 2029 engine, scheduled for 2029 – until then they will operate with Ferrari power units – and the aerodynamic facility in Cologne. It is a sophisticated organisation, contrary to the trend in Formula One for more centralization, and has led to the new cultural approach to which Chester referred to.
Apollo Blueprint
“We've drawn heavily from the NASA moon mission,” stated Lowdon ahead of the British Grand Prix in the summer. “We’re realistic, we recognize how challenging it is. The timelines, they’re super, super, super short. Alright, it's not a space expedition, but the pressure is comparable.”
So they have adopted, instead of the traditional management structure, a non-hierarchical approach akin to that of the space agency's, where there were a variety of Apollo teams all working on different aspects of the program across a variety of locations.
“If you have to go through a process where someone has a problem and they escalate it to their supervisor, that supervisor communicates with a supervisor in another department, it is relayed back, it becomes inefficient,” notes Chester. “We give authority to team members to take charge. Avoiding hierarchical consent for all decisions is much smoother and quicker.”
What Lies Ahead
The success of this agile methodology will be evaluated in the heat of competition in 2026 and there is a considerable amount riding on this for F1, too. The Cadillac team have signed as their development driver the emerging Californian Colton Herta
