Approximately one year ago at the Vegas Grand Prix, Cadillac were at last given the official approval as the world of Formula One's most recent entrant for the 2026 season. Constructing the team from nothing has involved a hectic work rate that the team boss, Graeme Lowdon, has likened to the Apollo program. As the sport arrives on Las Vegas this race weekend, Cadillac know time is getting tight.
The Tight Timeline to Melbourne
At the season finale of the season to be hosted in the United States, with around a hundred days to go before they take to the track for the maiden outing in Australia at the 2026 season opener, the Cadillac F1 project have advanced rapidly but, in what must seem like a never-ending challenge, they are cognizant there will not be enough hours in the day.
The CTO, Nick Chester, joined the newly formed project in March 2023 shortly after it was formed, when the organization were without even an confirmed place. He has been at its heart ever since and enjoys a knowing grin when thinking about the journey.
“You can have five minutes reflecting at what the team has achieved and say: ‘Incredible, what an achievement what the team has created in less than three years,’” he notes. “But then the very next instant you realize: ‘Yeah, we’ve still got quite a lot to do.’”
A Unique Opportunity
The CTO had success at Renault in Alonso's championship-winning seasons of 2005 and 2006 and was in command of technical development at the new Mercedes-Benz Formula E team, but no previous experience has truly matched the task of launching the all-American Cadillac name, a manufacturer-backed entry supported by the parent company, General Motors, into the pinnacle of motorsport.
“Creating an grand prix team from the ground up, how often do you get the opportunity to do that?” Chester remarks. “There's nothing comparable. In an well-set team you don’t get the chance to transform organizational mindset.”
With each passing day that goes by minds are increasingly concentrated on the looming critical moment in Australia and goals are being handled.
“You have to assume that any incoming team entering the sport is going to be last but simply getting on to the grid will be an achievement in itself,” the team principal noted recently and while Nick Chester agreed with this sentiment he felt the squad had a statement to make as well.
“The first thing we intend to prove is that we belong on the grid,” Chester explains. “So that we show up and we function efficiently. We want to show that we are a serious contender performing the correct procedures on the race track. Once we prove that we are a legitimate team, then we aim to demonstrate progression from there on.”
Pilot Selection and Hiring Effort
In August they recruited Sergio Pérez and Valtteri as their racers for 2026, a tandem distinguished for their invaluable experience in performing at the front in two championship-winning squads, the Red Bull team and Mercedes, and Valtteri Bottas echoed the sentiment of fighting spirit.
“Certainly, we’re realistic,” he commented. “We face a mountain of work to do, and it’s going to be most likely a difficult start, because this is Formula One. But we’re not there to remain at the rear. I am confident with this structure, with this group, this staff, there’s no reason why we can't manage to advance swiftly to a competitive level and achieve good results.”
To that end hiring has been in full swing, with employees now at over 400 and intended to reach the target of 600 members quickly. Complementing their present headquarters at the UK base, the organization are in the phase of finishing an headquarters at the Fishers location in Indy and there is the GM works in North Carolina, where they are developing the facility to manufacture the power unit, scheduled for 2029 – until then they will use power from Ferrari – and the aerodynamic facility in Germany. It is a sophisticated structure, different from the trend in F1 for increased consolidation, and has prompted the new cultural approach to which the CTO referred to.
Apollo Model
“It's closely based on the Apollo program,” stated Lowdon shortly before the British Grand Prix in mid-season. “We’re realistic, we recognize how challenging it is. The timelines, are incredibly tight. Alright, we aren't launching a lunar mission, but the pressure is comparable.”
So they have adopted, instead of the usual hierarchical system, a decentralized management akin to that of the space agency's, where there were a range of project teams all working on different aspects of the program in a variety of locations.
“When you must follow a process where a challenge emerges and they report it to their manager, that leader communicates with a manager in another department, it travels back down, it’s super slow,” notes Nick Chester. “Therefore we enable staff to take charge. Eliminating management approval for everything is far more efficient and more rapid.”
The Future
The success of this agile methodology will be tested in the pressure of racing in 2026 and there is no little amount on the line for F1, too. The Cadillac team have signed as their development driver the emerging American Colton Herta
