From temporary Ferrari engines to active construction sites in Charlotte, Graeme Lowdon navigates a high-speed expansion as the American grid newcomer chases midfield stability through relentless development.
Graeme Lowdon, Cadillac's team principal, has described the American team's situation in its debut Formula 1 season as "building a plane while flying." The stars and stripes team has completed the first half of the championship with a balance of constant learning and an infrastructure in full development: "We are still in the construction phase, it's just like building a plane while you fly it or a ship while it's already sailing, and that's exactly what we are doing," declared Lowdon.
Cadillac has spent the first eleven Grands Prix of the 2026 season in a continuous learning process. The team has competed with Ferrari engines while building its own power unit plant in Charlotte, North Carolina: "Naturally, the company that handles the power unit is also building its own plant in Charlotte. In addition, we continue to hire staff at a very high rate, so there is still a huge amount of construction and development work underway" explained Lowdon.
The team principal highlighted that the second quarter of the season has allowed Cadillac to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the MAC-26, as well as areas for improvement in the operational team: "The second quarter of this year has also allowed us to begin to better understand the strengths and weaknesses of the MAC-26, as well as the strengths and critical points of the team from an operational point of view" he stated.
Lowdon revealed that the team is still in full construction phase, with work in Indianapolis and Silverstone: "We are still building the facilities. Next to my desk I have a pair of steel toe boots and a hard hat, because we regularly go to visit the construction sites. There's a very big one in Indianapolis and a smaller one in Silverstone" he explained.
The American team has been fighting at the bottom of the grid, mainly against Aston Martin, although Lowdon acknowledged that this is more due to the Silverstone team's difficulties than to the Cadillacs' performance. Despite the challenges, the team principal was optimistic about the team's progress: "We like to say that every day is a school day. If there is a day we don't learn something, it's a wasted day. That's why we continually try to identify every area where we can improve and constantly progress" said Lowdon.
Cadillac continues to hire staff at an accelerated pace and build its infrastructure. The American team is far from the refinement phase other teams are in: "At this moment we are still facing major changes, because there is really a huge amount to do and many things are completely new, so we are still far from the phase where one simply refines and optimizes details, which I think is instead the phase that many other teams are probably in today" concluded Lowdon.
Cadillac's long term goal is to become a respectable team in the midfield. The American team has shown it can be competitive in qualifying, but a lack of reliability and experience has prevented it from scoring points so far this season.
Lowdon trusts that the team can continue to progress in the second half of the season and take a step forward.
