Cadillac F1 Boss Outlines Intense Preparations to be a Key Contender in 2026

Team principal of the Cadillac Formula One team, Graeme Lowdon, has shed light on some of the extensive work being performed in the background and suggested that much needs to get done to be race-ready in 2026. Lowdon stressed that the American outfit isn’t just focused on entering the F1 grid next year, but is determined to be as competitive as possible.

Lowdon revealed the details moments after Cadillac was officially declared Formula One’s eleventh team. The feat was achieved after the team passed through several hurdles, which even required a change in the management structure. However, things took a more positive turn after General Motors announced an increased involvement in the team, prompting Formula One Management (FOM) to reconsider the team’s bid.

With a UK headquarters already operating in full swing at Silverstone and with industry experts on board to develop a new team and car from scratch, Cadillac now faces the task of developing an all-new F1 car for a new era of regulations starting in 2026. Despite the challenge, Lowdon believes his team is on course to not only race in the premier class of motorsport but also compete strongly for top positions. He told Formula 1, as quoted by F1i.com:

“In terms of being ready to race, everything is on schedule.

“We don’t just want to turn up and race, we want to be as competitive as we possibly can be.

“From that point of view, for sure we would have loved to have had more time and more people because the more of that you have, the more performance you can build.

“But we recognised that the process itself requires a huge amount of energy and effort.”

The team boss added that Cadillac was focused on testing different car components at present. That said, he is happy with the progress made so far and the fact that the team now has access to F1 data, which could help further in building a competitive car. He said:

“In terms of timeline for production, we’re happy with where that stands.

“We’ve been using a lot of time up to now doing a lot of testing and validation of individual components, things like testing of noses, squeeze testing of chassis elements and the like.

“There’s an awful lot of work that has gone on in the background. There’s still a lot of work to do.

“We’re in a significantly better position now that we’re now a fully-fledged F1 team. We will have access to all the data and information that all the other teams have.”

He added:

“Now we can really push to come up with the most competitive car that we can,” he said. “The team is already very sizeable, we’re very comfortable about the position we’re in, in terms of being ready to go racing in 2026.”