{"id":231846,"date":"2025-10-22T06:58:10","date_gmt":"2025-10-22T06:58:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/231846\/"},"modified":"2025-10-22T06:58:10","modified_gmt":"2025-10-22T06:58:10","slug":"f1-news-mullets-motivation-and-momentum-inside-cadillacs-bold-f1-debut","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/231846\/","title":{"rendered":"F1 news: Mullets, motivation and momentum: Inside Cadillac\u2019s bold F1 debut"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Mullets,
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCadillac team principal Graeme Lowdon is counting down the days until the team debuts in 2026. Image: XPB Images<\/p>\n

With less than 50 days until the car\u2019s initial fire-up, team principal Graeme Lowdon looks towards the milestone moments \u2014 seeing the car complete its first shakedown lap and finally start a grand prix \u2014 telling Speedcafe that all those moments carry an almost unparalleled emotional weight.<\/p>\n

\u201cNot many people get the chance to experience bringing a new team in,\u201d he said. \u201cThose are the two kind of really key moments.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Lowdon, who oversaw the formation of a new team before when he helped bring Virgin Racing to the grid in 2010, the challenge of building Cadillac\u2019s operation from scratch is immense but exhilarating<\/a>.<\/p>\n

At their bases in both Silverstone and Charlotte, countdown clocks mark every step of the journey \u2014 clocks that also appear on the home screen of Lowdon\u2019s phone to remind him wherever he is.<\/p>\n

He added that the team is not only constructing cars but forging a culture, simulating entire race weekends to ensure everyone \u2014 from engineers to pit crew \u2014 functions like a well-oiled machine under pressure.<\/p>\n

\u201cAlthough we\u2019ve got very, very experienced people in the team, this is the first time they\u2019ve all worked together,\u201d Lowdon explained.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe did not want to be in a situation where people are introducing themselves to each other in Melbourne.\u201d<\/p>\n

Experience has been central to Cadillac\u2019s approach, particularly when selecting drivers.<\/p>\n

The team\u2019s inaugural race seats will be filled by Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez<\/a>, combining for over 500 grand prix starts and 16 grand prix wins.<\/p>\n

Lowdon said the appeal of both was immediate.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe overriding kind of sentiment that I got [from both drivers] was one of excitement,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs a team principal, that\u2019s really, really important. To see that the driver is excited to be involved in a project.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think that excitement and enthusiasm is really important to see because we are going to have tough times ahead. There\u2019s no two ways about it.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe challenge is huge. This is a difficult game. It\u2019s meant to be. It\u2019s the pinnacle of world motorsport.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe know that the challenge is tough, and so having drivers who are excited, who want to be here and contribute and want it to be a success, is really important.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Bottas, who has spent 2025 embedded in the Mercedes paddock as a reserve, that excitement comes alongside a hunger to return to the cockpit full-time.<\/p>\n

\u201cBeing on the side, you realise how cool it is and how lucky the 20 drivers are to be there,\u201d Bottas told Speedcafe.<\/p>\n

The Finn is already engaged in preliminary work with Cadillac, remaining in constant communication with Lowdon as well as other forms of calls such as discussing steering wheel layouts.<\/p>\n

Despite not officially starting with the team until January, Bottas has used his time in the garage to deepen his understanding of race strategy, car dynamics, and team operations.<\/p>\n

\u201cI definitely see the sport in a different light,\u201d he admits.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll the sessions I\u2019ve been in the garage, listening to all the coms. I definitely understand how the team actually works, behind the scenes and what goes on.<\/p>\n

\u201cDuring qualifying. During the race. It\u2019s a much bigger understanding of what is happening in the garage and from the factory support.<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause when you\u2019re a driver in the car, you only have one point of contact normally, your race engineer, and you don\u2019t hear all the stuff that\u2019s going on.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo this year I\u2019ve been able to see everything. How everything works. I think that can help me, especially helping build a new team.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lowdon also highlighted the importance of personality and character within the team.<\/p>\n

In a sport dominated by technology, he welcomed individuality, pointing to Bottas\u2019 mullet and the contrasting styles of his driver lineup.<\/p>\n

\u201cFormula 1\u2019s the greatest team game in the world, but it is sport, and all sport needs heroes, and the drivers are quite rightly the heroes,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s good that they have depth to their character and they have colour to their story, and it\u2019s great.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it\u2019s great that Valtteri\u2019s individual tastes come through, as long as he doesn\u2019t want me to get a mullet! I generally don\u2019t care what he does with his hair as long as he\u2019s fast. We don\u2019t care. So it\u2019s great.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese guys are not robots. They\u2019re people. They\u2019re individuals who fans can really relate to, and I like that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bottas, amused by the attention to his hairstyle, assured fans that his signature look would remain intact as he embarked on his new chapter with Cadillac.<\/p>\n

While the drivers bring experience, the team blends seasoned professionals with fresh faces, including IndyCar winner Colton Herta, who will act as test driver<\/a> while racing in F2 to gain experience on F1 tracks.<\/p>\n

Lowdon praised Herta\u2019s approach, adding that his attitude was a driving factor in the team signing him.<\/p>\n

\u201cI just love his attitude,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt reminds me of everything that\u2019s right about a racing driver. A proper racing driver.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a multiple winner in IndyCar. He\u2019s had an incredibly successful time racing in IndyCar, and yet he\u2019s prepared to come and join an F1 team and do it with real respect as well.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s clear that he respects Formula 1 and he respects the team. I just think that attitude is very refreshing in this day and age.\u201d<\/p>\n

On the technical side, Cadillac\u2019s first cars have been built to the sweeping new 2026 chassis and power unit regulations, with prototypes already passing critical FIA homologation tests.<\/p>\n

The team relied on a mix of experienced designers, manufacturing partners, and its UK base near Silverstone while its future Indiana facility was completed.<\/p>\n

A Ferrari power unit will propel the car next year, with Cadillac\u2019s own power unit planned for 2029.<\/p>\n

For the team and its drivers, the first year will be about execution and growth rather than wins and podiums.<\/p>\n

Bottas is clear-eyed on the challenge ahead but remained determined that F1 was where he wanted to be racing.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor me, the first years it\u2019s going to be quite tricky with Cadillac,\u201d he admitted.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re not expecting big results. That\u2019s just how it goes. We need to build up. We need to learn a lot going into the sport.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut I\u2019m grateful, and there would be no other series that I\u2019d rather be in than here.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lowdon echoed that sentiment, focusing on team cohesion and gradual progress while also considering the changes that everyone on the 2026 grid would be facing.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t know how competitive everyone is going to be,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut I think I\u2019ll be happy if we execute well.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo everything that\u2019s within our control, if we execute all of those things well, then I\u2019ll be happy.<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause if we do that, I know that, irrelevant of where we are as a team, we\u2019ll progress.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s the most important thing: to keep building and keep progressing.\u201d<\/p>\n

As Melbourne looms, the excitement is unmistakable.<\/p>\n

Bottas will make his return in front of a home-like crowd, while the team watches its years of preparation converge into a tangible, roaring reality on track.<\/p>\n

It is, as Lowdon says, a rare and exhilarating experience: the birth of a Formula 1 team, from concept to competition, ready to take its place among the sport\u2019s elite.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Cadillac team principal Graeme Lowdon is counting down the days until the team debuts in 2026. Image: XPB…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":231847,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[573],"tags":[64,63,62640,817,813,816,17670,85,1512],"class_list":{"0":"post-231846","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-formula-1","8":"tag-au","9":"tag-australia","10":"tag-cadillac-f1","11":"tag-f1","12":"tag-formula-1","13":"tag-formula1","14":"tag-graeme-lowdon","15":"tag-sports","16":"tag-valtteri-bottas"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/231846","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=231846"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/231846\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/231847"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=231846"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=231846"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=231846"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}