F1 teams 'are going to be angry' as new boss sets out to ruffle feathers
Cadillac know they are likely to be at the tail end of the Formula 1 grid when they join the sport next season. And team principal Graeme Lowdon has said rivals will be "apoplectic" if any of them end up being beaten by the newbies.
Cadillac's bid to form F1's 11th team was approved in March, leaving them a year to gear up for the Australian Grand Prix which will serve as the 2026 season curtain-raiser. Part of General Motors, Cadillac will partner with TWG Motorsports and initially run on Ferrari power before rolling out their own engines from 2029.
Becoming the first constructor to join the grid in a decade, they have set up shop with one of their four bases at Silverstone, which will host this weekend's British Grand Prix. TWG is building its new headquarters in Fishers, Indiana, while they have more US facilities in North Carolina and Michigan.
Despite the hefty clout of General Motors' backing, British team leader Lowdon has flagged caution when it comes to predicting any early on-track success. Speaking to reporters including Mirror Sport on a tour of their UK satellite base, he said: "We have had discussions with our shareholders about what expectations should be.
"The easiest way I can describe it to them is, can you imagine if you have owned a Formula 1 team for 10 years and another team rocks up and beats you? You would be apoplectic, so annoyed, so you have to assume that any new team coming in is going to be last, otherwise what has gone wrong somewhere else?.
"We want to be as competitive as we can but we have to be realistic, too. We see the numbers and we are happy with our progress. But we don't know where we will be other than if we beat someone, then they are going to be angry.
"There is no real magic to Formula 1. It is just very, very difficult. The reason it is so difficult is because everyone is doing the same thing on the same day, and that is something that TWG and GM fully understand. We are partnering with a manufacturer that understands racing. You just tell them the truth."
With Cadillac's entry as the 11th team on the grid, two driver spots will become available. Valtteri Bottas, Lewis Hamilton's former team-mate at Mercedes where he has returned as reserve driver since losing his race seat at Sauber last year, is keen on returning to a full-time seat in F1.
Sergio Perez, who was let go by Red Bull at the end of last year, and former Formula 2 champion Felipe Drugovich, have also been mentioned. Chinese driver Zhou Guanyu, who has raced with Alfa Romeo and Sauber over three seasons, is another potential candidate and is well-known to Lowdon, who was previously part of his management team.
However, the Cadillac chief made it clear: "Nothing is decided yet. There is a very strong argument to say that a new team in its first year of racing would benefit hugely from drivers who are experienced. We know who is in the market, and we have got a good idea of what we need, but we are some way off reaching that stage of finalising our line-up."
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