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Approximately twelve months in the past at the Vegas Grand Prix, the Cadillac racing team were finally granted the official approval as F1's newest entry for the 2026 season. Constructing the squad from nothing has involved a intense operating tempo that the team boss, Graeme Lowdon, has equated to the Apollo moon landing. As Formula One converges on the Vegas strip this race weekend, Cadillac know the deadline is approaching.

The Tight Timeline to Australia

At the season finale of the season to be held in the United States, with around a hundred days to go before they make their debut for the first time in Australia at the first race of 2026, the Cadillac F1 project have come on in leaps and bounds but, in what must seem like a monumental task, they are cognizant there will not be adequate time.

The chief technical officer, Nick Chester, came aboard the embryonic operation in early 2023 shortly after it was established, when the organization were without even an official entry. He has been at its core from that point and enjoys a amused expression when reflecting on the ride.

“You can have a brief moment reflecting at what the team has achieved and go: ‘Wow, what an achievement what the team has created in under three years,’” he says. “But then the following moment you realize: ‘Well, we still have a great deal to do.’”

A Unique Challenge

Chester achieved victories at Renault in Alonso's championship-winning seasons of 2005 and 2006 and was in command of engineering strategy at the new Mercedes-Benz Formula E team, but no other project has been quite like the mission of bringing the all-American Cadillac marque, a manufacturer-backed entry backed by the parent company, GM, into F1.

“Creating an Formula One team from scratch, when are you ever going to get a chance to do that?” Chester remarks. “It's unparalleled. In an existing team you don’t get the chance to transform cultural approach.”

With each day that goes by minds are increasingly concentrated on the impending critical moment in Melbourne and targets are being set realistically.

“One must presume that any incoming team coming in is likely to start at the back but just making it to the starting line will be an feat in itself,” Graeme Lowdon stated earlier this year and while the CTO shared this view he believed the squad had a point to prove as well.

“The initial objective we want to show is that we deserve to be there,” he emphasizes. “So that we show up and we perform competently. We aim to demonstrate that this is a professional operation executing the proper actions on the race track. After we’ve shown that we’re really credible, then we aim to demonstrate improvement after that.”

Racing Talent and Recruitment Push

In August they contracted Sergio Pérez and Valtteri as their drivers for 2026, a pair distinguished for their vast knowledge in performing at the front in two top-tier teams, the Red Bull team and the Mercedes team, and Valtteri Bottas reflected the attitude of combative optimism.

“Naturally, we are pragmatic,” he commented. “There’s going to be a mountain of work to do, and it will likely be most likely a tough opening, because it is F1. But our goal isn't to stay at the back. In my view with this setup, with this group, these people, it's entirely possible we shouldn’t be able to advance swiftly to the front and achieve good results.”

To achieve that goal staff acquisition has been in full swing, with staff now at over 400 and intended to reach the target of 600 members quickly. In addition to their existing facility at the UK base, the organization are in the phase of completing an HQ at Fishers in the Indianapolis area and there is the General Motors facility in North Carolina, where they are constructing the plant to build the power unit, set for the 2029 season – until then they will operate with power from Ferrari – and the Toyota's wind tunnel in Germany. It is a complex structure, at odds with the trend in F1 for increased consolidation, and has prompted the innovative team culture to which Nick Chester referred.

Apollo Blueprint

“We've drawn heavily from the Apollo project,” stated Graeme Lowdon ahead of the British Grand Prix in mid-season. “We have a clear-eyed view, we understand how difficult it is. The deadlines, are incredibly tight. Alright, we’re not putting a man on the moon, but it can seem that way.”

So they have implemented, as opposed to the usual hierarchical system, a non-hierarchical approach akin to that of the space agency's, where there were a range of specialist groups all tackling various components of the project in a multiple sites.

“If you have to go through a process where someone has a problem and they raise it up to their manager, that manager communicates with a leader somewhere else, it goes back down the chain, it’s super slow,” says the CTO. “We give authority to people to handle things directly. Avoiding management approval for each action is so much cleaner and quicker.”

What Lies Ahead

The effectiveness of this agile methodology will be proven in the intensity of Grand Prix next season and there is a significant degree at stake for F1, too. The Cadillac team have signed as their reserve driver the 25-year-old Californian Colton Herta