Cadillac turns to Budkowski after surprise Lowdon firing

Cadillac has begun a new chapter in Formula 1 with Marcin Budkowski taking over as team principal after the surprise dismissal of Graeme Lowdon. Budkowski arrived at the team’s Silverstone headquarters on Monday, returning to a senior Formula 1 role for the first time in more than four years after previously leading Alpine and working for McLaren, Ferrari and the FIA.

Graeme Lowdon was informed of his firing on the morning of the announcement by Dan Towriss, chief executive of TWG Motorsports, which oversees the Cadillac operation. Towriss described the change as an “inflection point” and said the team had reached the stage at which it needed to hand the baton to a new leader.

“It was always the plan to get it to this point, and then hand the baton off to someone else,” Towriss said.

Reliability and performance remain urgent problems

Cadillac’s debut season was expected to be difficult. Unlike Haas, the last new team to enter Formula 1, Cadillac is developing much of its car in-house while buying engines and gearboxes from Ferrari. It also received approval to compete less than a year before its first race.

The team has spent much of the season near the back of the 22-car field. Its best result so far is 13th for Valtteri Bottas in China, while Cadillac has recorded nine retirements—more than every team except Aston Martin. Repeated brake overheating problems have restricted its race mileage and reduced the amount of data available to engineers.

“These things have clearly prevented the team from understanding more, because mileage during the race, it’s all data that you accumulate,” Towriss said. “I think that needs to be fixed very urgently.”

Sergio Pérez has also made clear that Cadillac’s progress has fallen short of his expectations. He said he had hoped the team would make “a lot more progress” and described it as “miles off” a breakthrough points finish after a penalty denied him a stronger result in Monaco. Those comments prompted speculation that Pérez could seek a move to Williams, but Towriss said Cadillac remained confident he would drive for the team in 2027.

Budkowski must repair communication and culture

The new team principal faces challenges beyond the car’s speed. Towriss acknowledged communication problems and information silos at Cadillac’s Silverstone factory, while Budkowski warned that reliability failures can create “a huge risk of creating a disconnect between the trackside operations and the factory.”

Budkowski’s technical background and experience are expected to help unify the organisation, although he has not held a senior team position since leaving Alpine in January 2022. In the intervening period, he remained active in the Formula 1 paddock as a broadcaster.

Cadillac is also preparing to become more U.S.-focused. The organisation has discussed moving some UK-based staff to a new Indianapolis factory from next season and plans to continue expanding its American workforce. Budkowski said it would be “foolish” not to tap into the technical talent available in the United States, even if building that capability will take time.

Cadillac insists ownership is not for sale

The leadership change comes as Cadillac’s ownership group faces wider scrutiny. TWG Motorsports, a subsidiary of TWG Global, holds the majority stake in the team. TWG Global founder Mark Walter has been linked to an ongoing U.S. Department of Justice investigation involving insurance companies he owns, while his sporting interests have also undergone major changes.

Walter recently sold his majority stake in the Los Angeles Lakers, and reports have emerged that he and fellow Chelsea shareholder Todd Boehly are discussing the sale of their minority positions in the Premier League club. A TWG Global spokesperson nevertheless said the company was “not considering a sale of the Cadillac team or any other part of TWG Motorsports.”

A long-term project enters its next test

Cadillac’s ambitions extend beyond simply surviving its first season. General Motors is scheduled to begin producing the team’s engines when its Ferrari supply agreement ends in 2029, underlining the aim of building a future contender rather than a permanent midfield operation.

The Dutch Grand Prix marks the beginning of what Towriss called a new “development phase.” He identified reliability, performance, process, organisation and culture as the priorities. Budkowski’s first task will be to bring stability to a project that took years to reach the grid—and now must convert its considerable resources and ambition into consistent progress.