Cadillac Formula 1 Team has announced that Marcin Budkowski has been appointed its new Team Principal, replacing Graeme Lowdon.
The American squad has completed the first half of its first season in F1, navigating the expected early struggles and showing improvements with Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas at the wheel.
Cadillac’s journey to F1 was fraught with difficulty, as the initial planned entrant, under the Andretti name, was thwarted, until owners, TWG Motorsport, realigned the team’s identity.
Lowdon, former Team Principal for the Marussia team, was appointed in the same role in December 2024, and in the intervening period, has led the team in its growth from concept to being a fully-fledged team on the grid, the 11th on the grid.
But the Englishman has now stepped aside for reasons currently unknown, but Cadillac has confirmed the appointment of Budkowski “follows a planned leadership transition as the organization evolves from its initial build phase into the next stage of racing performance.”
The Silverstone-based team also described the apppointment of the Pole as a “strengthening of the organization’s leadership team”.
In a statement, Cadillac CEO Dan Towriss said: “Marcin’s appointment marks another important step in the continued evolution of the 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.”
New Cadillac boss to ‘focus on making the right decisions quickly’
Budkowski, a former director of Alpine until 2022, hinted of a priority to change areas of the team’s current direction.
“Cadillac Formula 1 Team has an extraordinary foundation and ambition,” he said. “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, the only team without a point so far this season, will be looking to make good on Budkowski’s promise to carry on its trajectory until the end of the season.
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