In the week leading up to the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort, Cadillac shocked the Formula 1 community by announcing a major leadership shake‑up during the sport’s summer hiatus. Team principal Graeme Lowdon was removed from his post and succeeded by former Alpine director Marcin Budkowski, a move that was confirmed by Cadillac F1 chief executive Dan Towriss alongside the newly‑appointed boss. The pair spoke to the press shortly after the unexpected announcement to explain the rationale behind the change and to touch on other pressing topics affecting the fledgling team midway through its inaugural campaign.
While the turnover of team principals has become more common in recent years – every constructor except Mercedes has swapped its head since the close of the 2022 season – mid‑season dismissals remain relatively rare compared with the frequency of managerial changes seen in football. Consequently, Lowdon’s abrupt exit, which had not been hinted at in any recent speculation, caught many observers off guard.
Cadillac was only eleven races into its first year on the grid and had consistently warned that the team would likely spend the early stages fighting at the back of the pack while it built a foundation for future success. Towriss explained that the original plan always involved Lowdon eventually handing over the reins to another leader as the programme progressed.
"Graeme and I knew there would be a transition at some point," the CEO said, adding that the timing of the hand‑over arrived sooner than anticipated. "I made the decision because there is a very narrow window of opportunity when you look at what we’re building.
I didn’t want to create something that merely replicates what’s already been done; I wanted something fresh and innovative." He was careful to stress that the change was not driven by recent on‑track performance or the typical teething problems that a rookie team endures. "It’s not about the performance or the issues we’ve seen in the past few weeks," Towriss said. "It’s about having a clear vision for the future, the pace of our development and ensuring that vision aligns with the ambitions of our owners." Reliability has indeed been a persistent obstacle for Cadillac this season. In the seven races before the summer break the team managed only a single race in which both cars finished, with the MAC‑26 chassis repeatedly suffering from overheating brakes and other mechanical gremlins.
Budkowski, who began his tenure at the factory on a Monday, warned that these reliability setbacks must be addressed "very, very urgently" if the squad hopes to extract the full benefit of its upgrade packages. "There are reliability issues that have marred the team in the first part of the season," he admitted.
"It’s understandable – we’re a new team with a new group of people learning together. Failure is part of the learning curve in Formula 1.
However, those failures have prevented us from gathering the data we need during a race. Without that data we cannot understand the car fully, and that understanding is essential for progress." Budkowski stressed that the team’s determination to fix these problems would be a top priority.
"If we can’t race the parts we develop, there’s no point in developing them," he said. "We need to get the car reliable enough to finish races, because every lap provides data that fuels our development cycle." Despite being a U.S.‑backed newcomer – the first true start‑up entry in a decade – Cadillac ensured it had ample experience behind the wheel by signing two seasoned drivers: Sergio Pérez and Valtteri Bottas. Between them the duo bring more than 500 Grand Prix starts and 16 race victories.
Pérez has, to date, out‑performed Bottas and has been linked in the media with potential moves for 2027, including a possible seat at Williams should Carlos Sainz depart. When asked about those rumours, Towriss expressed confidence that Pérez will remain with Cadillac for the 2027 season. "Checo has been a tremendous asset to the team," he said. "He’s driven very well and pushed hard.
I’m very confident he will stay with Cadillac, and we are not distracted by the Williams chatter for a second. We’re confident in our relationship and expect to see him piloting our car next year." Cadillac has also been rumored to be eyeing younger talent, notably Brazilian rising star Rafael Camarã, the 21‑year‑old who is the reigning Formula 3 champion and currently sits third in his debut Formula 2 season. Towriss acknowledged the speculation but reiterated his satisfaction with the current driver line‑up.
"We have two experienced drivers who are pushing the team and will continue to do so," he said. "That said, Formula 1 is a sport where things can always change.
There are no concrete plans for 2027 yet, and the rumours about younger drivers are not substantiated at this time." For Budkowski, the new role marks his first direct involvement with an F1 team since leaving his executive director position at Alpine at the start of 2022. He has remained a regular presence in the paddock through his work with Polish television, and his résumé now includes stints at five different teams as well as three years heading the FIA’s technical department until 2017, followed by a period at Renault.
His dual experience on both the regulatory and team sides is seen as a valuable asset for Cadillac, which is backed by American automotive giant General Motors and ultimately intends to develop its own power unit. Commenting on how the sport has evolved during his four‑year hiatus from a frontline role, Budkowski observed, "The competition is incredibly ruthless now.
All the teams are professional and highly competitive. The rules have changed, but the game remains the same.
My focus won’t be on individual regulations; it will be on how we can steer the regulatory environment to our advantage. The regulatory process serves the sport, but there is also a lot of self‑interest involved, and I have seen that from my time at the FIA." He added that in the current era of a cost cap, teams can no longer simply buy performance or buy their way out of mistakes.
"You have to be the best everywhere, you have to pay attention to detail, and you can’t rely on spending money to fix errors," Budkowski said. Towriss also underscored that Cadillac’s ultimate aim is to be a winning organization, not merely a participant. "The ambition is to build more than a team that is there to take part; we want a winning operation in the future," the 54‑year‑old American explained. "We’re far from that goal now, but it’s the end‑game for everyone involved." He highlighted the broader context of rapid change in Formula 1, noting the massive regulatory overhaul for 2026, the growing influence of artificial intelligence, and the societal shift toward AI across industries.
"There’s a huge regulatory shift this year, and there’s a societal shift with AI taking over many functions. It’s only the beginning for Formula 1. The teams of the future will look very different from today’s outfits.
We need to evolve what we have in place, improve it in the short term, and also think about what an F1 team will look like in the long term," Towriss concluded. The championship will return after the summer break with a sprint weekend at the Dutch Grand Prix from August 21‑23, with all sessions broadcast live on Sky Sports. Viewers can stream the coverage via NOW without a contract, cancelling at any time.