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Just over a full year ago at the Las Vegas Grand Prix, the Cadillac racing team were finally awarded the official approval as Formula One’s most recent participant for 2026. Constructing the organization from nothing has entailed a hectic work rate that the team boss, Graeme Lowdon, has equated to the Apollo moon landing. As Formula One descends on Las Vegas this weekend, Cadillac understand the deadline is approaching.

The Race Against Time to Melbourne

At the final race of the championship to be held in the US, with approximately three months to go before they hit the circuit for the first time in Melbourne at the first race of 2026, Cadillac have come on in leaps and bounds but, in what must seem like a monumental challenge, they are cognizant there will never be sufficient time.

The CTO, Nick Chester, came aboard the embryonic operation in early 2023 soon after it was formed, when the squad were without even an official entry. He has been at its core since then and enjoys a knowing grin when thinking about the ride.

“There might be a short period thinking back at what the team has achieved and think: ‘Amazing, what an achievement what the team has created in less than three years,’” he notes. “But then the following moment you realize: ‘Yes, there is still a great deal to do.’”

A One-of-a-Kind Challenge

Nick Chester had success at the Renault team in Alonso's title-winning years of 2005 and 2006 and was in command of technical development at the new Mercedes-Benz Formula E team, but no previous experience has quite compared with the challenge of bringing the quintessentially American Cadillac marque, a manufacturer-backed entry backed by the owner, General Motors Corporation, into Formula One.

“Building an grand prix team from scratch, when are you ever going to get a chance to do that?” he observes. “It is like nothing else. In an well-set team you won't have the opportunity to alter team culture.”

With every day that goes by minds are more focused on the impending decisive point in Australia and targets are being managed.

“One must presume that any new team coming in is likely to start at the back but simply getting on to the grid will be an accomplishment in itself,” Lowdon stated earlier this year and while the CTO agreed with this sentiment he felt the organization had a reputation to build as well.

“The first thing we aim to demonstrate is that we deserve to be there,” he says. “In order that we arrive and we perform competently. We want to show that we’re a proper team doing the proper actions on the race track. Once we prove that we are a legitimate team, then we aim to demonstrate forward movement from there on.”

Racing Talent and Recruitment Effort

In August they recruited Checo Pérez and Valtteri as their pilots for 2026, a duo remarkable for their invaluable experience in operating at the sharp end in two championship-winning squads, Red Bull Racing and Mercedes-AMG, and Bottas echoed the attitude of combative optimism.

“Of course, we are pragmatic,” Bottas stated. “We have a mountain of work to do, and it will likely be most likely a tough opening, because this is Formula One. But our goal isn't to remain at the rear. I believe with this setup, with these individuals, these people, there is every reason that we can't manage to progress rapidly up to the pace and taste victory.”

To realize that ambition staff acquisition has been in top gear, with personnel now at over 400 and scheduled to attain the goal of 600 quickly. Complementing their existing facility at Silverstone, the team are in the phase of finishing an HQ at Fishers, Indiana in Indianapolis and there is the General Motors facility in Charlotte, where they are building the plant to build the 2029 engine, scheduled for the 2029 season – for now they will use Ferrari power units – and the Toyota wind tunnel in Cologne. It is a sophisticated structure, different from the direction in Formula One for greater centralisation, and has led to the innovative team culture to which Nick Chester referred to.

Space Mission Blueprint

“We've drawn heavily from the NASA moon mission,” stated Graeme Lowdon just before the Silverstone race in the summer. “We’re realistic, we understand how difficult it is. The schedules, are incredibly tight. OK, it's not a space expedition, but it can seem that way.”

So they have implemented, instead of the usual hierarchical system, a flat management structure comparable to that of the space agency's, where there were a variety of project teams all tackling different aspects of the mission at a different facilities.

“If you have to go through a process where an issue arises and they escalate it to their team leader, that leader communicates with a leader somewhere else, it is relayed back, it becomes inefficient,” notes the CTO. “So we empower people to handle things directly. Avoiding managerial sign-off for all decisions is much smoother and quicker.”

What Lies Ahead

The effectiveness of this nimble approach will be evaluated in the pressure of racing in 2026 and there is no little amount on the line for Formula One, too. The Cadillac team have recruited as their reserve driver the 25-year-old American Colton Herta