F1’s Second American Team Cadillac Commits to Showcasing U.S. Talent in Driver Lineup
March 8, 2025
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Cadillac’s team principal Graeme Lowdon has suggested that the driver lineup will feature an American driver based on merit, since Formula One’s new team is based in the US. The comments arrive after Cadillac was confirmed as the sport’s eleventh team on March 7, with the outfit gearing up to race from the 2026 season.
The journey to be a part of Formula One was riddled with challenges, but a change in the management structure and a greater involvement of General Motors led Cadillac to be approved by the Formula One Management (FOM). With the team’s new facility already set up in the UK’s Silverstone, it has been on track to begin racing in the new era of regulations.
However, Cadillac is yet to finalize its driver lineup, and Lowdon has said that while no timeline has been set for the decision, the team’s official entry into the sport now allows it to focus on driver selection. He told Formula 1, as quoted by F1i.com:
Carlos Sainz of Spain driving (55) the Ferrari SF-24, Liam Lawson of New Zealand driving the (30) Visa Cash App RB VCARB 01 and others line up to practice their starts on the grid during… Carlos Sainz of Spain driving (55) the Ferrari SF-24, Liam Lawson of New Zealand driving the (30) Visa Cash App RB VCARB 01 and others line up to practice their starts on the grid during practice ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of United States at Circuit of The Americas on October 18, 2024 in Austin, Texas.
Mark Sutton/Getty Images
“There’s some very talented drivers still out there.
“We hadn’t been able to be in the driver market until the entry was confirmed. Now it has, we can move forward with that.
“In terms of timing, we’re not putting any timeline on driver announcements or anything like that but for sure, there will be in time.
“For sure we’re going to hire drivers based on merit. But as such, we see no reason why we won’t have American drivers in time.
“There’s nothing preventing a driver being selected on merit and being American. I think that would be something that a lot of fans would really want to see as well.
“At the end of the day, the Cadillac Formula 1 Team is based in the US. We have an operation in the UK, but it’s headquartered in the US and it is a US team as well.
“I’m fairly sure that hiring on merit and having a US driver are entirely compatible objectives for the team.”
Mario Andretti, who is an advisor on Cadillac’s board of directors, spoke in an interview with NBC last year about the new team’s driver preferences. He said:
“There are more drivers available than teams at the moment. Ten teams seems a lot, but there’s a lot more drivers, lot more talent out there.
“From our standpoint, I think the play at the beginning would be to have one experienced driver — nationality doesn’t matter — and then a young American talent. These are the objectives at the moment.”
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