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. Graeme Lowdon, who had been steering the fledgling team as principal, was removed from his post and replaced by former Alpine director Marcin Budkowski.
The change was confirmed by Cadillac F1 chief executive Dan Towriles, who appeared alongside Budkowski in a press briefing shortly after the announcement to explain the rationale behind the move and to field questions about other hot topics surrounding the newest outfit in the sport. Although the turnover of team principals has become more common in recent years – every constructor except Mercedes has changed its boss at least once since the close of the 2022 season – a mid‑season exit remains relatively rare when compared with the frequency of managerial changes in football. Consequently, Lowdon’s abrupt removal, which had not been hinted at in any prior speculation, caught many observers off guard.
Cadillac were only eleven races into their inaugural campaign 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 for future competitiveness. Towriles explained that the original plan had always been for Lowdon to eventually "hand the baton" to another leader as the programme matured, but admitted that the timing of the transition arrived sooner than anticipated.
"Graeme and I have always talked about a hand‑over at some point," the team chief said, adding that the decision was his alone. "There is a very narrow window of opportunity when you look at what we are building, and I didn’t want to create something that simply repeats what already exists.
The change needed to happen earlier than we first thought. It isn’t about recent performance hiccups or the teething problems we’ve seen on track; it’s about having a crystal‑clear vision for the future and ensuring the pace of development matches the ambitions of our owners." While Towriles downplayed the impact of the rookie team’s early‑season reliability woes on his timing, Cadillac’s first year has undeniably been hampered by mechanical gremlins.
In the seven races before the summer hiatus the squad managed only a single race where both cars crossed the finish line, and persistent brake‑overheating on the MAC‑26 chassis has been a recurring theme. Budkowski, who began his tenure at the factory on the Monday following the announcement, stressed that fixing reliability must be an urgent priority.
"We have reliability issues that are eroding the value of the upgrade packages we bring to the track," he said. "It’s understandable to some extent – we are a new team with a new group of people learning together. Failure is part of the learning curve in Formula 1.
However, those failures are preventing us from gathering the data we need during a race, and that data is essential for understanding and improving the car. We must address these problems immediately, otherwise development is pointless if we cannot run the parts we design." The American‑backed outfit, the first genuine start‑up entry in a decade, tried to compensate for its inexperience by hiring two seasoned drivers: Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas, who together bring more than 500 Grand Prix starts and 16 victories. So far, Perez has out‑performed Bottas and has been the subject of speculation about a possible move for 2027, with names like Williams being floated should Carlos Sainz depart. Towriles dismissed those rumours, insisting that Perez remains a key part of Cadillac’s plans.
"Checo has been a tremendous asset. He drives exceptionally well and pushes the team hard. I am very confident he will stay with Cadillac, and the Williams chatter does not distract us for a second.
We are confident he will be piloting our car next season," the executive declared. Cadillac have also been linked with younger talent, most notably Brazilian rising star Rafael Camara – the 21‑year‑old Ferrari‑backed F3 champion who is currently third in his debut F2 season. Towriles said he is happy with the current experienced duo but did not rule out the possibility of adding a youthful driver in the future. "It’s a great question whether a younger driver could push the team further.
We have two experienced drivers who are doing a fantastic job, and there are no concrete plans for 2027, but Formula 1 is fluid and things can always change. The rumours about young drivers are not substantiated, so we are not focusing on that now," he explained.
For Budkowski, the Cadillac role marks his first direct involvement with a Formula 1 team since leaving his executive director position at Alpine at the start of 2022. He has remained a visible figure in the paddock through his work with Polish television, and his résumé includes stints at five different teams, three years at the FIA where he headed the technical department until 2017, and a period at Renault.
Backed by General Motors, which ultimately intends to develop its own power unit, Budkowski brings a rare perspective from both sides of the sport’s regulatory divide. When asked how the sport had evolved during his four‑year hiatus from a front‑line role, Budkowski noted the increasing ruthlessness of competition.
"All the teams are incredibly professional and the level of competition is staggering. The rules have changed, but the game remains the same. My focus will be on steering future regulations to our advantage.
The regulatory process serves the sport, yet there is a lot of self‑interest involved, and I have seen that from my time at the FIA. You have to be the best in every detail, especially now that the cost cap prevents you from buying performance or buying your way out of mistakes." Towriles also emphasized that Cadillac’s ultimate aim is not merely participation but victory. He stressed the need to balance short‑term fixes with long‑term strategic thinking, especially as Formula 1 embraces new technologies such as artificial intelligence. "Our ambition is to build more than a team that simply shows up; we want a winning organisation for the future.
We are far from that goal now, but it is the endgame for everyone involved. The sport is undergoing massive regulatory changes and societal shifts, with AI beginning to influence how teams operate. Future F1 teams will look very different from today’s, so we must evolve our current foundation, improve it in the short term, and envision what an F1 team will look like years from now," he said. The championship will return after the summer break with a sprint weekend at the Dutch Grand Prix from 21‑23 August, with every session broadcast live on Sky Sports.
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