Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas have backed the change of leadership at Cadillac. Image: XPB Images
Both drivers spoke publicly about the leadership overhaul at Zandvoort on Thursday, a week after former Alpine executive Marcin Budkowski replaced Lowdon as team principal.
Cadillac made the change during Formula 1’s summer break, just 11 rounds into its debut campaign, with CEO Dan Towriss later revealing Lowdon had only been informed on the morning of the announcement.
Bottas said the scale of the reshuffle initially caught him off guard, particularly given his personal relationship with Lowdon, but accepted the team could not continue without addressing some of its problems.
“I think something needed to change,” Bottas said.
“Some issues we’ve had have been just dragging along. But I didn’t maybe quite expect such a big, big change. I was maybe expecting more stuff happening in the factory.
“Some of these things, we as drivers don’t see what needs to be changed sometimes when it comes to big things, because we’re obviously very focused on the driving, on the performance, on giving our feedback.
“We are not the people who structure the team; that’s not our job.”
Cadillac remains without a point heading into the Dutch Grand Prix, with reliability and technical issues having complicated its first season on the grid.
Asked whether the team’s ongoing brake problems had contributed to the leadership change, Bottas suggested they may have played a part before pointing to the influence of Cadillac’s American ownership.
“Probably. And I think also the American way can be a bit more reactive and sudden than the European way of leading the team,” he said.
“I don’t think they are afraid of changing people suddenly if they see that that could be a good thing for the future.”
Graeme Lowdon ousted as Cadillac F1 boss
Lowdon had been a central figure in Cadillac’s preparations long before its F1 debut, helping build the operation and guide its entry into the championship.
Bottas said that work should not be overlooked despite the decision to move in a different direction.
“Obviously, it’s a real shame that it’s Graeme who had to go out, because first of all, he’s a friend of mine,” he said.
“But I also think he’s done a great job setting up the team, getting ready to be on the grid for the first race, so I take my hat off for that.”
Perez was similarly complimentary of Lowdon’s contribution but said the arrival of Budkowski provided an opportunity for Cadillac to accelerate its development.
The Mexican said he believed the mid-season change demonstrated how aggressively the team intends to progress despite being only halfway through its first year in F1.
“I think Graeme has done a tremendous part in bringing Cadillac to where it is now, together with GM and Dan [Towriss],” Perez said.
“I think he’s part of the history of the team and I wish him well on whatever comes next.
“And I think on Marcin, I think it’s really exciting at the same time when you have a new leader and see his new perspective.
“I haven’t been spending much time with him, but I think it was time to change and I think it shows that, although it’s only our first year, Cadillac is really willing to move this team forward as quickly as possible.
“And we hope that with the new leadership that can come soon.”
Budkowski arrives with extensive experience across F1 after previous roles with Prost, Ferrari, McLaren, the FIA and Renault before serving as executive director at Alpine.
Perez said he expected that background to help across the organisation rather than concentrating on one specific weakness.
“I think as a leader you can look at all these different departments with your experience and guide them,” he explained.
“It’s what we are all expecting from Marcin, that he will guide us onto the next level, and we are all really excited about it.”