Cadillac have made a major leadership change during their first Formula 1 season, removing founding team principal Graeme Lowdon and appointing former Alpine executive Marcin Budkowski as his replacement.
Lowdon, 61, had overseen the creation of Cadillac’s F1 operation from its earliest stages, spending around three years building the team before its championship debut. Much of that work took place while the American project was still waiting for formal approval to join the grid.
Cadillac chief executive Dan Towriss made the decision to accelerate a leadership transition that had already been discussed with Lowdon. The change is primarily linked to the organisation Cadillac wants to build for the future rather than being a direct response to its recent reliability difficulties.
The team have experienced several technical problems during their opening campaign, including recurring brake overheating, but Cadillac’s management sees the appointment as part of a broader effort to establish the structure needed to become competitive over the long term.
Lowdon was informed of the decision on Wednesday morning.
Budkowski, 49, brings extensive Formula 1 experience across both teams and the sport’s governing body. He joined Renault’s F1 operation in 2017 and remained through its transition into Alpine, eventually serving as executive director before leaving in 2022.
Earlier in his career, Budkowski led the FIA’s Formula 1 technical department between 2014 and 2017. He has also worked with McLaren, Ferrari and Prost.
His arrival will reunite him with several former Renault colleagues already working at Cadillac, including chief technical officer Nick Chester.
Budkowski’s immediate task will be to strengthen the team’s internal structure and accelerate car development while operating within Formula 1’s cost cap. Cadillac also wants to improve coordination between departments, speed up decision-making and establish more consistent race-weekend execution.
Lowdon leaves after playing a central role in bringing Cadillac to the Formula 1 grid. Before leading the American project, he was a senior figure at the Manor and Marussia operation that competed in F1 between 2009 and 2016.
Cadillac entered Formula 1 knowing its first seasons would involve a significant development period. After the opening 11 races of their debut campaign, the team remain without a championship point despite fielding two experienced race winners in Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas.
The organisation is also still developing its long-term infrastructure. Its current operation is spread across several sites, including seven buildings near Silverstone in the UK, General Motors’ technical centre in Michigan and the company’s motorsport headquarters in North Carolina.
A new facility in Fishers, Indiana, is eventually expected to become Cadillac’s main F1 headquarters, although the team intends to maintain a substantial UK presence.