Cadillac make abrupt leadership change

Cadillac have dismissed team principal Graeme Lowdon and appointed Marcin Budkowski as his replacement, bringing an abrupt leadership change to the team’s first Formula 1 season. Budkowski will take charge from the Dutch Grand Prix after the summer break.

Cadillac described the move as a “planned leadership transition” as the organization moves from its initial construction phase into competitive development. However, chief executive Dan Towriss said the decision was his and was not mutual. He also confirmed that Lowdon was told on the morning of the announcement.

“It was my decision, it wasn’t a mutual decision,” Towriss said.

Lowdon had led Cadillac’s preparation for its arrival on the grid and assembled the team’s experienced driver pairing of Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas. But the team has struggled badly in its opening 11 races. Cadillac is the only team yet to score a point, while Perez and Bottas have recorded nine Grand Prix retirements between them. Both cars have reached the finish together only once in the last seven races.

Budkowski tasked with building the organization

Budkowski, a 49-year-old Polish-French engineer, has worked for Prost, Ferrari, McLaren, the FIA and Renault/Alpine. His priority will be improving the flow of information and decision-making inside a team that Towriss said has communication problems and a silo culture at its Silverstone base.

“My focus will be on aligning our people, tools and information flow so the right decisions are made quickly, and the performance of the car improves every time we go racing,” Budkowski said.

The change adds pressure to Cadillac’s already difficult transition into F1. The team’s poor reliability has been accompanied by cars regularly catching fire, and its two drivers are spending most weekends at the back of the field. Budkowski’s immediate challenge is to stabilize the operation while building the technical foundations required for Cadillac’s planned long-term push toward the front.