Cadillac appoints new team principal in shock leadership change

Cadillac has made the shock announcement that former Alpine executive director Marcin Budkowski is replacing Graeme Lowdon.

Although yet to score a point, the American team has made a stronger-than-expected start to life in Formula 1. However, reliability proved to be a constant struggle in the races leading up to the summer shutdown. 

Making the announcement of Budkowski's arrival, Cadillac stated that the change was part of a "planned leadership transition", although there was no previous indication that a change was in the pipeline.

"Marcin's appointment marks another important step in the continued evolution of the Cadillac Formula 1 Team," said Cadillac F1 CEO, Dan Towriss

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

Beyond the comment from Towriss, there is no indication of why the change has been made at this point. 

Lowdon, previously CEO of the Virgin/Manor team, was a key part of Cadillac from day one, playing a role in securing the entry rights before being confirmed as the team principal in December 2024.

His replacement, Budkowski, has held senior roles with Prost, Ferrari, McLaren, Alpine, and the FIA. 

The Polish-French engineer, now team principal, said: “Cadillac Formula 1 Team has an extraordinary foundation and ambition.

“This is a phase of huge opportunity for the team, one that will be defined by a clear objective: maximising car development within the cost cap and turning every team function on to compete. That means building an elite organisation 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.”