Cadillac team principal Graeme Lowdon has reflected on the American outfit’s inaugural Formula 1 season, emphasising the team’s focus on continuous learning and foundational development. Lowdon stated that progress cannot be solely judged by championship positions or lap times during this initial phase.
The team, which entered the 2026 season under the Andretti Global banner, has been powered by Renault customer engines. Lowdon, appointed as Team Principal, brings prior Formula 1 experience to the new venture.
Speaking ahead of the Belgian Grand Prix, Lowdon detailed reliability improvements and operational execution as key measures of success. Cadillac experienced a challenging start to the season with various reliability problems.
These issues included a hydraulic problem for Valtteri Bottas during the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix and a power unit retirement for Sergio Pérez at the Canadian Grand Prix. The reliability concerns culminated in a double retirement for the team at the Austrian Grand Prix.
However, the team implemented targeted fixes following Austria, leading to improved performance at Silverstone. Both Cadillac cars completed the Sprint and the Grand Prix at the British circuit.
Lowdon described this as an important morale boost for the entire organisation. He acknowledged the intense effort required, stating, ‘Everyone’s working extremely hard. Every team in this pit lane works incredibly hard, so it’s not something that’s unique to us.’
The team principal admitted that the earlier string of retirements had been frustrating due to the repeated pursuit of specific reliability issues. He noted, ‘The team worked really hard and it was frustrating to have a string of events where we were chasing particular problems around a bit, and we didn’t get a two-car finish in two or three races, and then obviously a double DNF in Austria, which you don’t want.’
Returning to full race finishes at Silverstone was therefore a welcome sign of regained stability. Lowdon stated, ‘Silverstone was nice to be back to what we’d experienced earlier in the season, finishing both cars in the Sprint race and both cars in the Grand Prix as well.’
Assessing Cadillac’s debut campaign, Lowdon highlighted the inherent difficulty of measuring a new Formula 1 team’s performance against established rivals. He stressed the scale of the challenge, calling Formula 1 ‘the most difficult team sport in the world’.
Cadillac entered the championship with ambitious long-term objectives, coupled with an appreciation for the difficulty of achieving success. Lowdon emphasised that building a successful Formula 1 team requires patience and foundational work, rather than expecting immediate results.
He also acknowledged the extensive effort from the team’s international operations, including staff in Indianapolis, Charlotte, Silverstone, and the wind tunnel in Cologne, Germany.
Instead of focusing solely on championship standings, Cadillac evaluates its own execution and operational improvements each race weekend. As of mid-August 2026, Cadillac holds tenth position in the Constructors’ Championship with zero points.
For Lowdon, continuous learning remains a primary objective. He stated, ‘Every day is a school day, and we’re just looking to learn as much as we can, as quickly as we can. We have to do it in front of a few hundred million people as well, so we want to do it as professionally as we can.’
Lowdon rejected any suggestion that Valtteri Bottas has been struggling. He explained that both Bottas and Sergio Pérez have frequently been assigned different responsibilities as the team develops its first Formula 1 car.
Both drivers were selected for their extensive experience across multiple Formula 1 teams, which is crucial for building the engineering and mechanical infrastructure. Bottas’s best finish this season includes an eleventh place at the Monaco Grand Prix and the Hungarian Grand Prix.
Pérez has also consistently finished in the mid-teens when completing races, with a best result of thirteenth at Monaco. Lowdon concluded by reiterating Bottas’s key contribution to Cadillac’s long-term project, stating he is ‘helping to drive the team forward.’
