Just over twelve months in the past at the Las Vegas Grand Prix, the Cadillac racing team were at last given the go-ahead as F1's most recent participant for the 2026 season. Building the squad from scratch has entailed a frenetic operating tempo that the principal, Graeme Lowdon, has equated to the Apollo program. As Formula One arrives on Las Vegas this weekend, the team understand the clock is ticking.
The Countdown to Australia
At the season finale of the campaign to be staged in the United States, with approximately 100 days to go before they hit the circuit for the maiden outing in Australia at the first race of 2026, the Cadillac F1 project have advanced rapidly but, in what must seem like a monumental endeavor, they are cognizant there will not be sufficient time.
The chief technical officer, Nick Chester, came aboard the newly formed team in the spring of 2023 not long after it was established, when the team were without even an confirmed place. He has been at its heart since then and has a knowing grin when thinking about the experience.
“There might be five minutes thinking back at what the team has achieved and go: ‘Wow, what an achievement what we’ve done in under three years,’” he notes. “And then the next minute you think: ‘Yes, we’ve still got a significant amount to do.’”
A One-of-a-Kind Opportunity
Chester achieved victories at Renault in Alonso's title-winning seasons of 2005 and 2006 and was in charge of technical development at the new Mercedes electric racing team, but nothing has quite compared with the mission of bringing the iconic American Cadillac name, a works entry backed by the corporate entity, General Motors, into the pinnacle of motorsport.
“Creating an Formula One team from scratch, when will you ever have the possibility to do that?” he observes. “There's nothing comparable. In an well-set team you don’t get the opportunity to alter team culture.”
With every day that elapses thoughts are more focused on the impending decisive point in Melbourne and expectations are being set realistically.
“One must presume that any incoming team joining the grid is probably going to finish last but merely participating will be an feat in itself,” Lowdon noted earlier this year and while Nick Chester shared this view he felt the team had a statement to make as well.
“Our primary goal we aim to demonstrate is that we deserve to be there,” he emphasizes. “So we show up and we function efficiently. We aim to demonstrate that we are a serious contender performing the proper actions on the circuit. Once we have demonstrated that we are a legitimate team, then we aim to demonstrate progression subsequently.”
Pilot Selection and Hiring Effort
In late summer they recruited Sergio Pérez and Bottas as their racers for the 2026 season, a pair remarkable for their invaluable experience in performing at the sharp end in two of the sport’s biggest teams, Red Bull Racing and Mercedes, and the Finnish driver reflected the attitude of determined optimism.
“Of course, we’re realistic,” Bottas stated. “There’s going to be a massive task to do, and it will likely be most likely a difficult start, because it's the top level of motorsport. But we aren't joining to remain at the rear. I am confident with this setup, with these individuals, these people, it's entirely possible we won't be able to advance swiftly up to the pace and enjoy some success.”
To that end staff acquisition has been in full swing, with personnel now up to in excess of 400 and intended to hit the target of six hundred rapidly. Complementing their existing facility at the UK base, the squad are in the midst of finishing an headquarters at Fishers in Indianapolis and there is the General Motors facility in North Carolina, where they are constructing the plant to build the new engine, scheduled for 2029 – in the meantime they will use power from Ferrari – and the Toyota wind tunnel in Cologne, Germany. It is a complex structure, different from the direction in F1 for increased consolidation, and has led to the innovative team culture to which the CTO alluded.
Apollo Model
“It's closely based on the Apollo project,” said the team principal just before the British Grand Prix in July. “We’re realistic, we recognize how difficult it is. The deadlines, are extremely compressed. Well, it's not a space expedition, but it can seem that way.”
So they have embraced, as opposed to the traditional management structure, a non-hierarchical approach comparable to that of Nasa’s, where there were a range of specialist groups all working on various components of the project at a multiple sites.
“When you must follow a procedure where a challenge emerges and they report it to their team leader, that leader communicates with a leader somewhere else, it travels back down, it’s super slow,” explains the CTO. “We give authority to team members to handle things directly. Moving away from managerial sign-off for each action is much smoother and more rapid.”
What Lies Ahead
The success of this agile methodology will be evaluated in the intensity of Grand Prix when the season begins and there is a significant degree at stake for F1, too. The Cadillac team have recruited as their development driver the young American Colton Herta
