Cadillac F1 oust Graeme Lowdon and appoint Marcin Budkowski as new Team Principal

• Cadillac has replaced Graeme Lowdon with former Alpine executive Marcin Budkowski as Team Principal, signalling a major leadership change during its debut F1 season.
• Budkowski arrives with extensive experience from Alpine and the FIA, with his focus now on improving Cadillac’s car development, processes and overall competitiveness.
• Despite Cadillac’s difficult start and ongoing brake reliability issues, the leadership change demonstrates the team’s ambition to build a long-term operation capable of competing at the front of Formula 1.

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Cadillac have announced the appointment of former Alpine Executive Director Marcin Budkowski as their new Team Principal, replacing incumbent Graeme Lowdon with immediate effect.

The leadership change was announced by Cadillac in a press release, confirming Budkowski’s appointment, though no specific details were provided regarding Lowdon’s departure.

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

“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.

“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 organization and help us develop the winning mindset, tools and processes required for long-term success.

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

Budkowski had been working as a television pundit in his native Poland before joining Cadillac, having previously served as Executive Director at Alpine between 2018 and 2022, and at the FIA before that.

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

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

“That means building an elite organization 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. 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.

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

Cadillac, in their maiden F1 campaign, are yet to record a points finish and sit last in the constructors’ championship. Their European run of races has been marred by frequent brake failures, undermining the otherwise competitive MAC-26.

While removing foundational team boss Lowdon appears a brutal move, it is a sign of intent from Cadillac that they are not resting on their laurels and have designs on becoming a top team in F1.

13th for Valtteri Bottas at the Chinese Grand Prix remains the team’s best result of the season to date, while teammate Sergio Perez has had a pair of 14th place finishes in Barcelona and at Silverstone.

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Written by

Jawad Yaqub

An eCommerce Specialist by day and reporting on F1 by night. Jawad is passionate about motorsport, having provided accredited F1 coverage for more than a decade and is a member of the AIPS (International Sports Press Association). Live blogging (almost) every grand prix too since 2014, as well as articles on the Supercars Championship. Also keen on sustainability, photography, collecting vinyl, (trying to) expertly barbeque and learning to Dad.

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