Approximately a full year previously at the Nevada Grand Prix, Cadillac were ultimately given the official approval as the world of Formula One's newest entrant for 2026. Constructing the squad from nothing has involved a intense pace of work that the team principal, Graeme Lowdon, has equated to the NASA lunar mission. As Formula One descends on Las Vegas this race weekend, the team understand the clock is ticking.
The Countdown to Melbourne
At the season finale of the championship to be held in the United States, with just over 100 days to go before they hit the circuit for the maiden outing in Australia at the first race of 2026, Cadillac have come on in leaps and bounds but, in what must seem like a monumental task, they are cognizant there will never be adequate time.
The CTO, Nick Chester, joined the nascent project in March 2023 soon after it was formed, when the squad were without even an approved entry. He has been at its core ever since and has a wry smile when thinking about the ride.
“You might get a brief moment looking back at what you’ve done and go: ‘Incredible, how impressive what we have built in a short three-year period,’” Chester states. “Then the next minute you think: ‘Yeah, we still have a significant amount to do.’”
A Unique Task
Nick Chester had success at Renault in Alonso's championship-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 quite compared with the challenge of bringing the iconic American Cadillac name, a manufacturer-backed entry sponsored by the corporate entity, General Motors, into Formula One.
“Creating an grand prix team from scratch, when are you ever going to get a chance to do that?” Chester remarks. “It's unparalleled. In an well-set team you don’t get the opportunity to alter organizational mindset.”
With each day that goes by focus are sharper on the impending moment of truth in the Australian GP and expectations are being set realistically.
“One must presume that any incoming team coming in is going to be last but merely participating will be an achievement in itself,” Graeme Lowdon noted recently and while Nick Chester shared this view he thought the squad had a reputation to build as well.
“The initial objective we aim to demonstrate is that we should be there,” Chester explains. “So we show up and we operate well. We seek to prove that we’re a proper team doing the correct procedures on the race track. When we prove that we’re really credible, then we will focus on progression after that.”
Racing Talent and Recruitment Drive
In August they recruited Sergio Perez and Bottas as their racers for the 2026 season, a tandem distinguished for their vast knowledge in performing at the front in two of the sport’s biggest teams, Red Bull Racing and Mercedes, and Bottas reflected the mood of fighting spirit.
“Naturally, we’re realistic,” Bottas stated. “We face a massive task to do, and we expect probably a difficult start, because it is F1. But our goal isn't to remain at the rear. I believe with this setup, with this team, this staff, it's entirely possible we won't be able to advance swiftly to a competitive level and enjoy some success.”
To that end hiring has been in full swing, with staff now at more than 400 and intended to attain the objective of 600 swiftly. Alongside their current base at the Silverstone circuit, the team are in the process of building an main base at the Fishers location in Indy and there is the GM plant in Charlotte, where they are developing the center to build the 2029 engine, planned for 2029 – in the meantime they will use power from Ferrari – and the Toyota's wind tunnel in Cologne. It is a complex organisation, contrary to the trend in F1 for greater centralisation, and has prompted the new cultural approach to which Chester alluded.
NASA Inspiration
“It’s highly modelled on the NASA moon mission,” remarked the team principal just before the British Grand Prix in the summer. “We have a clear-eyed view, we know how difficult it is. The deadlines, they’re super, super, super short. Alright, we aren't launching a lunar mission, but the pressure is comparable.”
So they have implemented, instead of the usual hierarchical system, a decentralized management comparable to that of Nasa’s, where there were a variety of specialist groups all tackling distinct elements of the project across a multiple sites.
“In a system where you follow a procedure where a challenge emerges and they escalate it to their team leader, that leader talks to a leader somewhere else, it travels back down, it’s super slow,” notes Nick Chester. “So we empower staff to handle things directly. Eliminating management approval for everything is far more efficient and more rapid.”
What Lies Ahead
The effectiveness of this agile approach will be evaluated in the intensity of Grand Prix in 2026 and there is a significant degree riding on this for F1, too. Cadillac have signed as their test driver the 25-year-old American Colton Herta
