Cadillac accelerates its Formula 1 entry with rapid hiring, new factories, and top talent joining from across the F1 paddock.
Cadillac is hard at work preparing for its highly anticipated entry into Formula 1 next year, and it’s moving fast.
The American brand may not be on the grid just yet, but the race has already begun behind the scenes. Every decision made now will shape Cadillac’s competitiveness in its debut season.
Team Principal Graeme Lowdon, known for his time at Marussia, is leading the charge. While he’s present at team boss meetings during race weekends, the real action is happening at the factories, especially the one in the UK.
Building a Team from the Ground Up
Staffing is the first major challenge. While the foundation is in place, the team is expanding rapidly.
“We’re hiring more than one person per day right now,” Lowdon said during the Miami Grand Prix weekend. “Every Wednesday morning, we have an all-hands meeting—either in person or remote—to update everyone on what’s happening and to welcome new starters. Just this week, we had 14 new people join.”
He added, “There are still key leadership roles we’re looking to fill. So some of us are wearing multiple hats while we build out the team.”
As of now, Cadillac’s F1 operation has grown to around 330 employees.
Some high-profile names have already joined the project. Former Renault technical director Nick Chester and F1 veteran Pat Symonds are onboard. Pete Crolla, previously with Haas, has come in as team manager—a critical role, especially since Haas was the last new team to join the grid.
Infrastructure Expansion in Three Countries
Beyond people, Cadillac is investing heavily in facilities. Construction is underway in multiple locations.
“We’re building a brand-new headquarters in Fishers, Indiana,” Lowdon said. “It’s going to be something really special and a strong statement of our commitment to the U.S. market.”
Work is also ongoing in Silverstone, where Cadillac is expanding its UK footprint. That site will serve both as a manufacturing base and European logistics hub. The wind tunnel program will run out of Cologne, using Toyota’s facility that was previously leased by McLaren.
Cadillac is also constructing a separate factory for its power unit program, signaling serious long-term intent.
“We’re basically building everything from scratch—and that includes buying a huge amount of highly specialized equipment,” Lowdon explained. “You can’t just order this stuff online. Some of it has long lead times and can cost hundreds of millions.”
Facing the Hidden Challenges of a New F1 Team
Cadillac may be well-funded, but catching up to the competition isn’t easy. Existing teams benefit from vast data sets, historical knowledge, and access to technical guidelines and tools that aren’t publicly available.
“People often don’t realize this,” Lowdon said. “Even though F1 regulations are publicly available, there are many technical directives, data sets, and design resources that only current teams can access. Until recently, we had none of that.”
He gave the example of wind tunnel tires. “Last year, we were already running aero tests, but Pirelli wouldn’t provide wind tunnel tires to us because we weren’t a registered team. We had to make our own.”
That workaround worked well, but Lowdon emphasized how sensitive F1 design work is. “Even a tiny difference in tire model can throw off your entire development path. If it were better to make your own tires, everyone would do it. But they don’t—because Pirelli’s are the benchmark.”
Now that Cadillac’s entry is official, the floodgates have opened. They can finally operate with full access to the data and tools they need.
Is Cadillac Behind Schedule?
With so much to juggle, is the team falling behind?
Lowdon insists they’re staying on track. “We’re working from a very detailed schedule. Some early design freeze points have already passed—things like suspension mounting points and key chassis interfaces.”
He likened the roadmap to a Formula 1-themed advent calendar. “Every month, there are multiple critical deadlines. We’re just ticking them off as we go.”
- Discover More>Senna & Schumacher: A Hidden Friendship in F1’s Darkest Hour
- Follow us on >FACEBOOK and >TWITTERfor F1 update
Cadillac Expands F1 Dream with Daily Staff Hires Cadillac Expands F1 Dream with Daily Staff Hires