F1 newcomers Cadillac have changed things up at the top by drafting in experienced engineer and former Alpine chief Marcin Budkowski to replace Graeme Lowdon as Team Principal with immediate effect.<\/p>\n
The American squad<\/a> made their debut in Australia earlier this season, a little over a year after the team were granted approval to join the sport \u2013 with Lowdon appointed Team Principal at the end of 2024.<\/p>\n Under his leadership, in tandem with CEO of TWG Motorsports Dan Towriss, Lowdon spearheaded the mission to get a new team off the ground from a blank sheet of paper from recruiting staff to building out the infrastructure and the car.<\/p>\n It culminated in the team having a strong foundation with two cars \u2013 piloted by Sergio Perez<\/a> and Valtteri Bottas<\/a> \u2013 on the start line in Australia and earning the respect of their rivals with their early performance.<\/p>\n However, as they entered the summer break, the American team had yet to score their maiden point in Formula 1 and, while they were making progress, their reliability was disappointing.<\/p>\n They suffered a chronic problem with overheating brakes, which they have failed to cure despite bringing fixes to events, and that stunted their progress.<\/p>\n While Cadillac knew Formula 1 would be tough and that it would take time to become a contender, this is a very ambitious project that is well-funded and the slow progress plus having a recurring issue was frustrating.<\/p>\n In the background, sources say the team have been considering their senior leadership operation for some time, with current and former senior paddock personnel canvassed about joining the team.<\/p>\n Following weeks of discussions, Towriss and the General Motors leadership team decided that change was needed and opted to part ways with Lowdon and replace him with Budkowski<\/a>.<\/p>\n Budkowski comes with immense Formula 1 experience. He’s an engineer by trade and has experience working with world championship-winning teams Ferrari, McLaren and Renault (under the Alpine brand).<\/p>\n He’s led engineering departments, worked with governing body the FIA within their sporting and technical divisions, and led teams of more than 700 people through his senior leadership role at Alpine.<\/p>\n Helpfully, Budkowski was available immediately \u2013 rather than having a long gardening leave period \u2013 as he was focusing on a few different projects including working as a broadcaster for Polish TV.<\/p>\n So, in many respects, he was the ideal solution for what Cadillac described as their next phase, moving from the “initial build phase into the next stage of racing performance”.<\/p>\n