A little more than a full year in the past at the Vegas Grand Prix, Cadillac were ultimately granted the green light as the world of Formula One's newest entry for the 2026 season. Constructing the squad from nothing has required a hectic operating tempo that the principal, Graeme Lowdon, has likened to the NASA lunar mission. As Formula One converges on Las Vegas this race weekend, Cadillac understand the deadline is approaching.
The Race Against Time to Melbourne
At the last event of the season to be staged in the America, with approximately 100 days to go before they hit the circuit for the inaugural time in Australia at the first race of 2026, Cadillac have made significant progress but, in what must seem like a sisyphean endeavor, they are conscious there will not be sufficient time.
The CTO, Nick Chester, became part of the newly formed operation in March 2023 not long after it was created, when the squad were without even an confirmed place. He has been at its center from that point and enjoys a wry smile when considering the experience.
“You can have a short period reflecting at what you have accomplished and say: ‘Wow, how impressive what the team has created in under three years,’” he says. “Then the following moment you think: ‘Yes, there is still quite a lot to do.’”
A Unique Challenge
Nick Chester achieved victories at the Renault team in Fernando Alonso’s title-winning seasons of 2005/2006 and was in charge of technical direction at the recently formed Mercedes Formula E team, but no previous experience has quite compared with the challenge of launching the iconic American Cadillac marque, a manufacturer-backed entry sponsored by the owner, General Motors, into F1.
“Building an Formula One team from the ground up, when will you ever have the possibility to do that?” he says. “There's nothing comparable. In an established team you don’t get the possibility to alter team culture.”
With each passing day that elapses minds are sharper on the looming critical moment in Melbourne and expectations are being handled.
“It's reasonable to expect that any incoming team joining the grid is probably going to finish last but simply getting on to the grid will be an achievement in itself,” Lowdon commented this year and while Nick Chester shared this view he thought the squad had a reputation to build as well.
“Our primary goal we want to show is that we should be there,” Chester explains. “So we turn up and we function efficiently. We aim to demonstrate that we are a serious contender doing the correct procedures on the race track. When we prove that our credentials are solid, then we want to show forward movement after that.”
Driver Lineup and Team Building Push
In the summer they signed Sergio Pérez and Valtteri Bottas as their pilots for 2026, a tandem notable for their invaluable experience in performing at the leading positions in two championship-winning squads, Red Bull Racing and the Mercedes team, and Bottas expressed the attitude of combative optimism.
“Of course, we’re realistic,” Bottas stated. “We have a massive task to do, and it will likely be probably a difficult start, because this is Formula One. But we’re not there to remain at the rear. I believe with this structure, with this team, these personnel, it's entirely possible we shouldn’t be able to advance swiftly to a competitive level and achieve good results.”
To that end staff acquisition has been in overdrive, with staff now at in excess of 400 and intended to reach the goal of six hundred swiftly. Alongside their existing facility at Silverstone, the organization are in the midst of completing an main base at Fishers, Indiana in Indianapolis and there is the GM plant in North Carolina, where they are constructing the facility to build the new engine, planned for 2029 – for now they will run power from Ferrari – and the Toyota's wind tunnel in Germany. It is a intricate organisation, at odds with the direction in the sport for increased consolidation, and has inspired the new cultural approach to which Chester referred to.
Apollo Blueprint
“It’s highly modelled on the Apollo project,” remarked the team principal shortly before the British Grand Prix in mid-season. “We’re realistic, we understand how difficult it is. The timelines, are incredibly tight. Well, we’re not putting a man on the moon, but the pressure is comparable.”
So they have embraced, as opposed to the conventional chain of command, a flat management structure similar to that of Nasa’s, where there were a assortment of Apollo teams all focusing on various components of the program across a different facilities.
“If you have to go through a protocol where an issue arises and they report it to their supervisor, that manager talks to a leader at a different location, it goes back down the chain, the process is very slow,” explains Chester. “So we empower team members to handle things directly. Moving away from hierarchical consent for all decisions is far more efficient and more rapid.”
What Lies Ahead
The effectiveness of this agile methodology will be tested in the pressure of racing next season and there is a considerable amount at stake for F1, too. The Cadillac team have recruited as their test driver the 25-year-old American Colton Herta
