Just a week before the Formula 1 calendar rolls back onto the streets of Zandvoort, Cadillac stunned the paddock by announcing a mid‑season leadership shuffle: long‑time team principal Graeme Lowdon was relieved of his duties and succeeded by former Alpine boss Marcin Budkowski. The change was confirmed by Cadillac F1 chief executive Dan Towriss, who appeared alongside Budkowski in a press briefing shortly after the news broke.
Both men fielded questions about the abrupt shift, the team’s performance woes, and the future of their driver lineup as the American‑backed outfit navigates the halfway point of its inaugural campaign. Team‑principal turnover is now relatively common in modern F1 – every constructor except Mercedes has changed its head since the close of 2022 – but it remains rare for a change to happen mid‑season, especially for a brand‑new team still finding its footing. Lowdon’s exit therefore caught many by surprise, as there had been no public speculation about his job security.
Cadillac had only competed in eleven Grands Prix and had consistently warned that they would likely be battling at the back of the grid while they built a foundation for future competitiveness. Towriss explained that the original plan always included a hand‑over: “Graeme and I knew there would be a transition at some point. The decision to move forward now simply came earlier than we anticipated.” He stressed that the timing was not driven by recent on‑track performance or the typical teething problems that new teams endure, but rather by a strategic desire to align leadership with the long‑term vision of the ownership group.
“I didn’t want to continue building something that was already done, something old. The window for creating something fresh and innovative is narrow, and we have to seize it while we can,” Towriss said.
Reliability has indeed been a persistent hurdle for Cadillac. In the seven races preceding the summer hiatus, the squad managed only a single race where both cars crossed the finish line. Overheating brakes on the MAC‑26 chassis have been a recurring symptom of deeper mechanical fragility. Budkowski, who will assume his new role on Monday, warned that these issues must be resolved “very, very urgently” if the team hopes to extract any benefit from the upgrade packages they are bringing to the track.
He acknowledged that growing pains are inevitable for a fledgling outfit: “It’s understandable – we’re a new team with a new group of people. We’re learning together and, inevitably, we’re failing together.
Failure is part of the learning curve in Formula 1.” However, he added that each retirement or mechanical failure deprives the engineers of valuable data. “During a race we gather mileage, data, and understanding of the car. If we can’t finish, we lose that insight, and that hampers development,” Budkowski explained. “There’s determination in the team, but we must focus on fixing reliability first; otherwise there’s no point in developing parts we can’t race.” Cadillac’s driver roster reflects a blend of experience and star power.
For their debut season they signed former world champion Sergio Perez and seasoned race‑winner Valtteri Bottas, together boasting more than 500 Grand Prix starts and 16 victories. So far, Perez has out‑performed Bottas, and his future has already been the subject of speculation, with rumors linking him to a possible move to Williams for 2027 should Carlos Sainz depart. Towriss dismissed those whispers, insisting that Perez remains a key asset.
“Checo has been a tremendous asset to the team. He’s driven very well and pushed hard. I’m very confident he will stay with Cadillac, and the Williams rumours do not distract us for a second,” he said.
The team has also been linked with younger talent, most notably Brazilian F3 champion Rafael Camara, a 21‑year‑old backed by Ferrari who is currently third in his first F2 season. While Towriss expressed satisfaction with the current experienced pairing, he did not rule out the possibility of bringing in a rising star later on. “It’s a great question whether a younger driver would come in and push the team. We have two experienced drivers we’re happy with, but Formula 1 is fluid – nothing is set in stone for 2027,” he remarked.
For Budkowski, the Cadillac appointment marks his first full‑time F1 team role since leaving Alpine in early 2022, although he has stayed visible in the sport through media work with Polish television. His résumé includes stints at five different teams and three years heading the FIA’s technical department before moving to Renault.
This blend of team‑side and regulator experience is seen as valuable for an American‑backed project that aims to eventually design its own power unit under the umbrella of General Motors. When asked how the sport has evolved during his four‑year hiatus, Budkowski highlighted the increasing ruthlessness of competition.
“All teams are now extremely professional and competitive. The regulations may change, but the game stays the same. My focus is on steering future regulations in our favour, because the rule‑making process serves the sport but also contains self‑interest, something I observed at the FIA.” He also noted that the cost‑cap era has eliminated the ability to simply buy performance, making meticulous attention to detail essential.
Towriss reinforced that Cadillac’s ultimate ambition is not merely participation but victory. He emphasized the need to balance short‑term fixes with long‑term innovation, especially as Formula 1 embraces emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence. “We want to build more than a team that exists; we want a winning organisation for the future.
We’re far from that goal now, but it’s the end target for everyone,” he said. “Regulation changes are massive this year, and societal shifts like AI are just beginning to touch the sport. The teams of tomorrow will look very different, and we must evolve our current foundation while also looking ahead to what an F1 team will become in the years to come.” The championship 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.