A week before the Formula 1 calendar heads back to Zandvoort, Cadillac stunned the paddock by announcing that Graeme Lowdon would step down as team principal during the sport’s summer hiatus. The company immediately named former Alpine director Marcin Budkowski as his successor, marking a rapid leadership change for the fledgling outfit. The move was confirmed by Cadillac F1’s chief executive Dan Towriss, who joined Budkowski for a press briefing shortly after the announcement. Both men tackled the most pressing questions surrounding the abrupt shift, the team’s early‑season challenges, and the ongoing speculation about driver line‑up decisions as the American‑backed entry navigates the middle of its debut campaign.
In recent years, the turnover of team principals in Formula 1 has accelerated; every constructor except Mercedes has swapped its boss at least once since the close of the 2022 season. Nevertheless, mid‑season dismissals remain rarer in motorsport than in football, making Lowdon’s exit all the more unexpected. The change arrived without any prior rumours and came at a time when Cadillac was only eleven races into its first year on the grid, still openly acknowledging that the team would likely spend most of the season battling at the back of the pack.
Towriss explained that the original plan always involved Lowdon eventually handing over the reins to a new leader as the project matured. "Graeme and I knew a transition would be necessary at some point," he said, adding that the timing simply arrived sooner than anticipated. "I saw a narrow window of opportunity to reshape the programme and inject fresh ideas.
It wasn’t about recent performance hiccups; it was about aligning the team’s development trajectory with the owners’ long‑term ambitions." He emphasized that he did not want to continue building a car that merely replicated existing concepts. Instead, he wanted to steer Cadillac toward an innovative direction that could eventually compete at the front.
While he downplayed the so‑called "teething issues" that any rookie team faces, the reality on track has been a series of reliability setbacks. In the seven races before the summer break, the squad managed only one event where both cars finished, with the MAC‑26’s brake overheating becoming a recurring problem.
Marcin Budkowski, who began his first day at the factory on the Monday following the announcement, warned that fixing these reliability concerns was an urgent priority. "We’re collecting a lot of data, but if the car can’t finish races, that data never translates into performance gains," he said. "The team is determined, but we must resolve the mechanical gremlins before any meaningful development can take place." Cadillac’s decision to hire seasoned veterans Sergio Pérez and Valtteri Bottas for their inaugural season was a clear signal that the organization did not want to lack experience behind the wheel.
Together, the two drivers bring more than 500 Grand Prix starts and 16 race victories. Pérez has already out‑performed Bottas in the early outings, and his future has been the subject of media chatter, including rumors that he might move to Williams if Carlos Sainz departs that team. Towriss dismissed those whispers, stating unequivocally that Pérez remains a cornerstone of the project. "Checo has been an immense asset.
He drives with passion and pushes the car to its limits. I am confident he will stay with Cadillac for 2027, and we are not distracted by any speculation about Williams," he affirmed. The team has also been linked to younger talent, notably 21‑year‑old Brazilian Rafael Câmara, the reigning Formula 3 champion who is currently third in his first Formula 2 season and enjoys backing from Ferrari.
While Budkowski expressed satisfaction with the current experienced pairing, he left the door open for future driver changes. "We constantly evaluate whether a fresh, younger driver could inject new energy.
At the moment, our focus is on the two drivers we have, but Formula 1 is fluid and plans can evolve," he noted. For Budkowski, the Cadillac role represents his first full‑time position within a Formula 1 team since leaving Alpine in early 2022, where he served as executive director. His résumé also includes three years heading the FIA’s technical department until 2017 and a stint with Renault, making this his fifth different F1 organisation.
Backed by General Motors, Cadillac aims to eventually develop its own power unit, and Budkowski’s experience on both the regulatory and team sides of the sport is expected to be valuable. When asked how the sport has changed during his time away from day‑to‑day team management, Budkowski observed, "The competition is brutally fierce. Every team is highly professional, and the regulations have shifted, but the core game remains the same.
The key is to anticipate regulatory trends and shape them to our advantage." He highlighted the impact of the cost cap, noting that teams can no longer simply buy performance and must instead excel in detail‑oriented engineering and operational efficiency. "You have to be the best in every area, from aerodynamics to pit‑stop choreography, because there’s no longer a financial safety net for mistakes," he said. Towriss echoed the sentiment that Cadillac’s ultimate goal is not merely participation but victory.
He stressed the need for a dual‑focus strategy: delivering short‑term improvements while building a foundation for long‑term success, especially as Formula 1 embraces emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence. "We are far from being a winning team today, but that is the endgame for everyone involved.
We must evolve our processes now and envision what an F1 team will look like in a decade when AI and other innovations reshape the sport," he explained. The 2024 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. Cadillac hopes that the leadership change, combined with a rapid resolution of reliability issues and a stable driver line‑up, will set the stage for measurable progress as they continue their ambitious climb up the Formula 1 hierarchy.