Just a week before the Formula 1 calendar swings back to Zandvoort, Cadillac shocked the paddock by announcing that Graeme Lowdon would no longer serve as team principal. The American‑backed outfit installed former Alpine director Marcin Budkowski in Lowdon’s place, a move confirmed by Cadillac F1 chief executive Dan Towriss alongside the new recruit. Their joint press briefing aimed to clarify the reasons behind the abrupt leadership change and to address other hot topics surrounding the fledgling team midway through its inaugural campaign. Four key take‑aways emerged from the discussion.
First, while the turnover of team principals has become more common in recent years—every constructor except Mercedes has switched its boss at least once since the close of 2022—mid‑season dismissals remain relatively rare compared with the turnover seen in sports like football. Lowdon’s departure, therefore, caught many observers off‑guard because there had been no public speculation about his future. Cadillac were only eleven races into their debut season and had consistently warned that they would likely spend most of the year battling at the back of the grid while they built a foundation. Towriss explained that the original plan always involved Lowdon eventually handing over the reins to a successor as the programme progressed.
However, the timing of the hand‑over arrived “sooner than expected.” He added, “Graeme and I always talked about a transition at some point. This decision was mine, and I felt there was a narrow window of opportunity to shape something new and innovative. I didn’t want to spend time perfecting a concept that was already dated.” The chief executive was quick to stress that the change was not driven by recent on‑track performance or the typical teething problems that new teams endure, but rather by a desire to align the project’s development speed with the owners’ ambitions. Second, reliability has been the Achilles’ heel of Cadillac’s MAC‑26 chassis.
In the seven races before the summer hiatus, the team managed only a single double‑finish, with overheating brakes repeatedly surfacing as a major issue. Budkowski, who started at the factory on the following Monday, warned that these reliability setbacks needed to be addressed "very, very urgently" because they were preventing the team from extracting the full benefit of the upgrade packages they were bringing to the track. He acknowledged that, as a brand‑new operation, “failure is part of learning in Formula 1,” but stressed that the data gathered during each race is wasted if the car cannot finish.
Third, the driver lineup has drawn considerable attention. Cadillac chose to field two seasoned veterans—Sergio Pérez and Valtteri Bottas—who together bring more than 500 Grand Prix starts and sixteen victories. Pérez has already out‑performed Bottas this season, and rumours have swirled about his possible move to other teams for 2027, including a speculative link to Williams should Carlos Sainz depart.
Towriss, however, dismissed those whispers, stating, “Checo has been a tremendous asset. I am very confident he will stay with Cadillac and we are not distracted by the Williams rumours for a second.” The team has also been mentioned in connection with younger talent, most notably Brazilian prodigy Rafael Camarã, the reigning Formula 3 champion who is currently third in his debut Formula 2 season and enjoys backing from Ferrari. While Towriss expressed satisfaction with the current experienced duo, he admitted that the prospect of bringing in a rising star is something the organisation contemplates, though no concrete plans exist for the 2027 driver roster. Finally, Budkowski’s appointment marks his first full‑time role at an F1 team since leaving his executive director post at Alpine in early 2022.
The 49‑year‑old has a varied résumé that includes three years heading the FIA’s technical department, a stint at Renault, and extensive media work for Polish television. His experience spans both the regulatory side and the competitive side of the sport, a blend that Cadillac hopes will help them navigate the increasingly complex rulebook and the looming influence of artificial intelligence on car development. When asked how the sport has evolved during his time away from a frontline position, Budkowski observed, “The fight is really ruthless now.
Every team is professional, the competition is fierce, and the regulations keep changing, but the game remains the same. It’s no longer about buying performance; the cost cap forces you to be meticulous and innovative.” He emphasized that the key to success will be shaping future regulations to the team’s advantage, a perspective he cultivated during his FIA tenure. Towriss reinforced that Cadillac’s ultimate goal is not merely to participate but to win.
He highlighted the need for a dual‑track strategy: short‑term fixes to improve reliability and performance, and long‑term planning that embraces emerging technologies such as AI. “We are far from being a championship contender, but the ambition is to build a winning organisation for the future,” he said. “Formula 1 is undergoing massive regulatory and societal changes, with AI beginning to play a role. The teams of tomorrow will look very different, and we must evolve both our car and our operational model to stay competitive.” The season will resume after the summer break with a sprint weekend at the Dutch Grand Prix from August 21‑23, all sessions broadcast live on Sky Sports.