Cadillac buoyed by ‘strong team spirit’ ahead of F1 debut

Cadillac’s long-awaited arrival on the Formula 1 grid is no longer a distant promise – it’s humming, rolling, and already pulsing with what team principal Graeme Lowdon calls a powerful “team spirit”.

After the American outfit logged its first meaningful mileage at the Barcelona shakedown, Lowdon emerged less focused on lap times and more energized by something harder to measure but impossible to miss: the atmosphere inside the garage.

For a brand stepping into motorsport’s most ruthless arena, the early signs are not just mechanical – they’re emotional.

Cadillac’s first laps were accompanied by a symbolic gesture, with the names of the squad’s founding members from both the United States and the United Kingdom emblazoned across a special livery. It was a visual reminder that this entry is as much about people as it is about performance.

Names on the Car, Energy in the Garage

Lowdon’s pride was unmistakable as he described the collective mood after Cadillac’s initial run. The message was clear: this is not a tentative newcomer – it’s a team arriving with unity already forged.

“We’ve got a really strong team spirit,” the Briton explained. “Everyone’s energised, everyone’s up for this. Super proud for me and everyone in the team to carry the names of everybody in the team on the livery for this shakedown.

“That was something that we really wanted to do and we’ve just got a really good bunch of people who want to join the team, which is great, and it’s just a great team atmosphere at the moment.”

The gesture turned the car into more than a machine; it became a rolling tribute to the workforce behind it. In a sport obsessed with fractions of a second, Cadillac chose to spotlight the human element first – a move that has already set a distinctive tone for its entry.

Business Mode, With a Pulse

Despite the emotional milestone, Lowdon was quick to stress that Cadillac isn’t here for sentiment alone. The team, he says, is already operating with the rhythm and discipline expected of established competitors.

“It is a big step, and it’s okay to allow ourselves a tiny bit of time to feel the emotion,” the Briton added.

“But I think the overriding feeling is it feels like business as usual as a proper Formula 1 team, and we’re getting stuck into the same work that everybody else is.

“Huge, huge, huge respect to everybody in the team – I’m so lucky to be in this situation where I can work with so many really talented people, both here at the track, back at Silverstone, back in Indianapolis and in Charlotte as well, and it’s a great feeling to be kind of feeling as if we’re really on our way now.”

Those multiple bases spanning two continents highlight the scale of Cadillac’s operation. It is a global effort wrapped in American branding, with British engineering muscle and a rapidly growing workforce feeding momentum from every direction.

Encouraged, Excited – and Realistic

As the Barcelona running wrapped up, the mood in Cadillac’s camp was neither overconfident nor cautious. Instead, it was calibrated optimism – excitement tempered by the knowledge that Formula 1 punishes complacency.

“I think [the feeling is] one of excitement and encouragement as well – really happy with the ways things have gone,” Lowdon conceded.

“We’ve steadily worked through all the usual niggles and the like that you find with a brand-new car, but also you have to remember it’s only the fourth day of this team running their Formula 1 car.

“But every day we’re getting more streamlined, the procedures are working well. People are working extremely well together, which I’m really, really happy about, so [I’m] encouraged.

“Still a lot of work to do, but that’s the same for all of the teams up the pit lane. I think we’ll be heading to Bahrain with a really positive feeling.”

The phrase “only the fourth day” lingers as both a disclaimer and a badge of honor. Cadillac is in its infancy, yet already speaking the language of established teams: procedures, streamlining, collaboration.

• Read also: Cadillac to move from reliability to speed in Bahrain – Lowdon

Bahrain’s pre-season tests loom as the next proving ground, but the foundation appears less about chasing rivals and more about solidifying identity.

In a championship where horsepower and aerodynamics usually dominate headlines, Cadillac’s early narrative is being driven by culture.

If Barcelona was the ignition, Bahrain will be the first true acceleration – and judging by Lowdon’s words, this is a team entering Formula 1 not just with ambition, but with belief echoing through every corner of its expanding garage.

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