Budkowksi in, Lowdon out as team principal of Cadillac

Cadillac’s Formula 1 project has taken a dramatic turn before it has even fully found its feet in its debut season at the pinnacle of motorsport. 

In a move that signals both urgency and ambition, the American squad has announced the departure of team principal Graeme Lowdon and the appointment of veteran Formula 1 executive Marcin Budkowski as his successor.

The change comes with Cadillac still searching for its first championship points and preparing for a crucial next phase of its build-up.

Budkowski will take charge immediately, with his first race weekend in the role set to be next weekend’s Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort.

The timing is striking. Lowdon was only appointed in December 2024 and had been one of the key architects of Cadillac’s original entry effort. Now, less than two seasons into the programme, the team has decided it needs a different kind of leader.

Cadillac turns to proven F1 experience

Budkowski arrives with one of the sport’s most varied résumés. Over the past quarter-century he has worked as an aerodynamicist for Prost, Ferrari and McLaren, led the FIA’s Formula 1 technical department, and later held senior leadership roles at Renault, including a shared team principal structure alongside Davide Brivio in 2021.

For Cadillac, the appointment is a clear bet on technical expertise and organisational discipline.

“Cadillac Formula 1 Team has an extraordinary foundation and ambition,” Budkowski said.

“This is a phase of huge opportunity for the team, one that will be defined by a clear objective: maximising car development within the cost cap and turning every team function on to compete.”

He then laid out a blueprint that sounded less like a corporate statement and more like a manifesto for a team determined to climb off the back row.

“That means building an elite organisation with a winning mindset - driven, relentless in the face of setbacks, obsessed with detail and process, and able to execute with precision on race day,” he added.

Budkowski’s immediate challenge will be formidable. Cadillac remains rooted to the bottom of the constructors’ standings while simultaneously trying to establish new infrastructure in Indiana, recruit talent and develop a competitive car under Formula 1’s financial restrictions.

“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,” he said;

“It is a privilege to be leading Cadillac Formula 1 Team’s on-track efforts, starting in Zandvoort next weekend.”

A change driven by ambition

Cadillac CEO Dan Towriss made it clear that the decision was about more than simply replacing one executive with another.

“Marcin's appointment marks another important step in the continued evolution of the Cadillac Formula 1 Team,” Towriss said.

“From the beginning, our goal has not been simply to participate in Formula 1, but to build a next-generation team capable of competing at the very front.”

Cadillac is not presenting itself as a patient newcomer content with gradual progress; it is positioning itself as a future contender and believes Budkowski is better equipped to accelerate that journey.

“As we enter this new era for the Cadillac Formula 1 Team, Marcin brings exceptional F1 experience, technical expertise and strategic leadership that will strengthen our organisation and help us develop the winning mindset, tools and processes required for long-term success,” added Towriss.

Farewell to the architect

The announcement inevitably casts a shadow over Lowdon’s departure. Towriss was careful to acknowledge the Briton’s role in building the operation from scratch.

“We’re grateful to Graeme Lowdon for his leadership and the role he played in forming the Cadillac Formula 1 Team from the ground up,” he said.

“His contributions helped establish a strong foundation in our build-up phase, and we thank him for his commitment and wish him well.”

In Formula 1, foundations are often celebrated only after victories arrive. For Cadillac, the foundation phase is now officially over. The project that once focused on getting onto the grid is entering a more unforgiving stage: proving it belongs there.

And with Marcin Budkowski now holding the pit-wall headset, Cadillac has sent its clearest message yet that it intends to move from ambitious newcomer to genuine competitor as quickly as possible.

Read also: Bottas reveals Cadillac’s upcoming development shift

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