Cadillac`s forthcoming Formula 1 team is currently engaged in “advancing discussions” with a range of potential drivers for their planned debut season in 2026, according to team principal Graeme Lowdon.
Set to join the F1 grid as the 11th competitor, the project is a joint venture between American automotive giant General Motors and TWG Global, which also holds interests in major sports entities including Chelsea Football Club and the Los Angeles Lakers.
Lowdon stated that since their official entry confirmation in March, the addition of two new seats to the F1 championship grid has led to contacts from “a long list of very, very good drivers who are keen” to potentially join Cadillac.
Among the drivers believed to be leading contenders are multiple race winners Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas, both of whom concluded their previous full-time roles after the close of the last season. Former Sauber driver Zhou Guanyu and Aston Martin reserve driver Felipe Drugovich have also been rumoured to be linked with a seat.
In an exclusive interview with Sky Sports News from their UK operations base near Silverstone, conducted ahead of this weekend`s British Grand Prix, Lowdon provided insights into the team`s progress towards their maiden race targeted for next March:
“The good thing is we know a lot of the drivers who are out there,” Lowdon commented. “Both the younger guys who have been coming up through Formula 2 and also the more established drivers who have a lot of Formula 1 experience. We talk to these people all of the time and we try and spend time in the paddock as well.”
He underscored the team`s primary focus thus far: “The main focus up to now has been building the car. I think if we reach Melbourne and there was no car for a driver to drive, then nobody would thank us at all.”
“But that said, we are advancing discussions with a number of drivers,” he confirmed.
Regarding any immediate announcements, Lowdon advised: “We won`t be announcing anything at Silverstone as such. But, I would say, watch this space.”
Was Bottas` Cadillac Post Significant?
Valtteri Bottas, currently serving in a third driver capacity at Mercedes after losing his Sauber race seat at the end of last season, recently sparked considerable interest on social media. He posted a video featuring himself alongside a Cadillac road car, accompanied by the caption: “Do we like this seat?”
When questioned about whether the post held any deeper meaning, Lowdon responded humorously: “I saw that post – well, it shows he`s bought a Cadillac!”
He further elaborated on the strategic approach to driver selection: “But in terms of selecting the drivers, there`s a real mix of skills and we`re very lucky at the minute. We`re out of synchronisation with the other teams at present, we`ve got a little bit of time and we can spend that time making sure that when we do announce the driver line-up, it`ll be the right one.”
“We hope that the fans will be excited by it as well, and hopefully excited by the fact that there`s a new team on the grid that they can follow,” Lowdon added.
Embracing the Challenge: Lowdon on a New Team`s Starting Point
Commenting on the countdown to their inaugural race weekend in Melbourne (scheduled for March 6-8), Lowdon remarked: “It`s a number that`s on the wall of every office that we have. We have a countdown clock, which shows the time between now and free practice one in Melbourne, so everyone`s acutely aware of the of the timeline.”
He affirmed the project`s progress: “We`re on target.”
Lowdon also revealed technical developments: “We`ve been in the wind tunnel with a `26 car for quite some time.”
Drawing upon his previous experience in F1 management with the former Manor/Marussia team between 2010 and 2015, Lowdon discussed the immense difficulty of competing at the sport`s pinnacle: “It`s super difficult. It`s intensely competitive, it really, really is.”
He offered a realistic perspective on where a new team typically starts: “There is a regulation change so we are yet to see how other teams will adapt to that but no new team coming into Formula 1 has any right, in reality, to be anywhere other than the back of the grid. So obviously our challenge is to try and move forward and we`ve got all the right ingredients.”
“Whilst we are very realistic about the task in hand… I think it is important to have ambition and you can see from TWG and from Cadillac, this is a team that does have vision and ambition to move forward. But we know how difficult that is,” Lowdon concluded, acknowledging the significant undertaking.
