This week’s Australian Grand Prix will not only ignite a fresh Formula 1 season in Melbourne – it will also mark the long-awaited arrival on the grid of the Cadillac Formula 1 Team.
Just 366 days after receiving final approval to join the fray as the sport’s 11th team, the American outfit is ready to turn vision into velocity on one of Grand Prix racing’s grandest stages.
For a team built from the ground up in partnership with TWG Motorsports and automotive giant General Motors, Melbourne represents more than a race weekend – it is the first chapter in a bold new story.
More than 550 staff, spread across hubs in Indianapolis, Charlotte and Silverstone, have worked relentlessly toward this moment. Now, beneath the Australian sun, months of preparation will finally meet the stopwatch.
Built With Intent, Aimed at the Future
The scale of the undertaking has not been lost on team principal and F1 veteran Graeme Lowdon. As the squad prepares to roll its cars out for the first time in competitive anger, he frames the occasion as both culmination and commencement.
“The Cadillac Formula 1 Team’s debut marks one of the proudest moments of my career,” Lowdon said in the team’s Melbourne preview.
“It has been a huge task to get to this point, and I am endlessly grateful to everyone involved. But the Australian Grand Prix is only the beginning of the journey, and our focus is on building long-term success.”
©Cadillac
Encouraging signs from pre-season running in Barcelona and Bahrain have added to the sense of quiet confidence within the camp.
“I am happy with our progress in Barcelona and Bahrain,” Lowdon added. “And we are already bringing the first upgrades to our car this weekend. We have bold ambitions, but we are realistic, committed, and respectful of the challenge ahead.”
It is a message of ambition tempered by pragmatism – a recognition that Formula 1 rewards patience as much as pace.
Experience at the Wheel
If Cadillac’s infrastructure speaks of long-term intent, its driver line-up signals immediate credibility.
Between them, Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez bring 526 Grand Prix starts, 106 podium finishes and 16 victories – a reservoir of experience the team hopes will accelerate its development curve.
For Perez, the Melbourne opener carries emotional weight.
“It is an honor to be in Australia this weekend, making history with the Cadillac Formula 1 Team,” he said. “Being a part of this amazing brand-new team has been a highlight of my career so far.
“The atmosphere in the team is positive and we are making progress together. We should be proud of what we have achieved so far. I can’t wait to get out on track.”
Bottas, too, senses the significance of the moment – and the energy that Albert Park is sure to provide.
“I always love coming to Melbourne, but this time, arriving to make history with the Cadillac Formula 1 Team, it is even more special,” said the Finn who has also made Australia his second home country thanks to his relationship with his better half, pro-cyclist Tiffany Cromwell.
“The local support from the Aussies will make this weekend even more unforgettable. I am so proud of the team’s hard work throughout our pre-season running and the many, many months that have led up to this weekend.
“This is only the start of our journey together, but we are already making progress, and I can’t wait to go racing.”
As the lights prepare to go out in Australia, Cadillac’s debut promises more than a new livery on the grid.
It represents American ambition reborn at the pinnacle of motorsport – a project forged with intent, powered by experience, and driven by belief. In Melbourne, history beckons.
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