{"id":701802,"date":"2026-05-29T15:24:17","date_gmt":"2026-05-29T15:24:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/701802\/"},"modified":"2026-05-29T15:24:17","modified_gmt":"2026-05-29T15:24:17","slug":"cadillac-f1-ceo-dan-towriss-interview-we-fought-for-the-right-to-be-stressed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/701802\/","title":{"rendered":"Cadillac F1 CEO Dan Towriss Interview: ‘We Fought for the Right To Be Stressed’"},"content":{"rendered":"

The biggest car news and reviews, no BS<\/p>\n

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Read one of the many published profiles of Daniel Towriss<\/a>, and you\u2019d think he\u2019s another billionaire with a hunger for buying franchises and embarking on larger-than-life projects. As the founder and\/or CEO at several large organizations\u2014including Andretti Global, Cadillac Formula 1 Team<\/a>, and insurance firm Gainbridge\u2014and a key partner in the group that owns the LA Dodgers, LA Lakers, and Chelsea FC, he could easily be seen as someone pretentious. Someone\u2026 out of touch.<\/p>\n

But the truth is that Dan, as he\u2019s simply known<\/a> around the F1<\/a>, IndyCar, and NASCAR paddocks, is a friendly, hands-on guy who believes in not just leading by example but also empowering those around him to think, act, and win. Since 2019, when Gainbridge made its first appearance as a sponsor on an Andretti Indy car, Towriss has been rapidly putting his money where his mouth is. From becoming a title sponsor of the Indy 500 to spearheading Cadillac\u2019s F1 venture, I\u2019d wager that his importance in modern-day American motorsports is second to none.<\/p>\n

\"DETROIT,<\/p>\n

\"INDIANAPOLIS,
\nMichael L. Levitt, Jeffrey Brown via Getty<\/p>\n

I sat down with Towriss earlier this month to get a glimpse behind the monster of a project that is the Cadillac Formula 1 Team, but also, get a sense for how he and his inner circle\u2014starting with his wife, Cassidy<\/a>\u2014have been able to make such a big impact in a sport known for vanishing fortunes and crushing egos.<\/p>\n

We also talked at length about his background in business and the culture he and team principal Graeme Lowdon are cultivating among staff in Fishers, Indiana; Charlotte, North Carolina; and Silverstone, England. And perhaps my favorite part of my chat with the Muncie, Indiana native: the realization that they\u2019ve made it. Cadillac hasn\u2019t reached its destination yet, of course, but after a long, exhausting, and quite dramatic journey to the F1 grid, they\u2019re on the tarmac fighting against 10 other teams.<\/p>\n

\u201cCassidy is quick to remind us that we fought for the right to be stressed, for the right to work this hard. Then you remind yourself, you\u2019re exactly where you want to be.\u201d<\/p>\n

-Dan towriss<\/p>\n

\"SUZUKA,<\/p>\n

\"MIAMI,
\nSOPA Images, Hector Vivas via Getty<\/p>\n

Jerry Perez: You\u2019re finally here in Miami\u2014first race for the Cadillac team in the United States, that\u2019s a big deal. How does it feel?<\/p>\n

Dan Towriss: We\u2019re feeling great; every race has been special, thus far, but to be able to have our first race on American soil, to be racing here, is a huge milestone. It\u2019s very special for this team. This is our fourth race of the year, and every race we\u2019re seeing big changes, big progress in this team, and it\u2019s a step forward, so that\u2019s been great to see. Over the break, the team was working really hard on upgrades for Miami, and we\u2019re just starting to see those unfold.\u2029But just watching this team gel before our very eyes, you know, week in and week out, is special. Of course, everybody [in the team] has experience in F1, but it takes time to make a team out of that, and I\u2019m seeing that happen. I\u2019m very happy about it.<\/p>\n

I live in Fishers, so I often walk by the Cadillac F1 Team building that\u2019s under construction. The pace you guys are moving at, I mean, with all due respect, it has to feel insane. You\u2019re building stuff, hiring people, traveling all over the world racing, and you\u2019re constantly developing a car. How do you even manage all those projects? How do you keep up?<\/p>\n

Thank you for asking that question! It is. It\u2019s massive because it\u2019s not just the team. It\u2019s not just performing and doing the normal race duties. It\u2019s the real estate project. It\u2019s your workforce kind of growing by 10% almost every month, so you have to shape the culture and create the future Cadillac Formula 1 Team, and everything is constantly changing. You go from one project that\u2019s all hands on deck to something that\u2019s very disciplined and orderly and precise. None of that happens overnight; it takes a lot of time and effort, and we\u2019re doing it. It\u2019s been great to see, and there\u2019s always gonna be a little bump on the road here or there, but really, it\u2019s coming together, and it\u2019s exceeded all of our expectations so far.<\/p>\n

What have been some of those bumps on the road?<\/p>\n

It\u2019s always just gonna come down to people [staffing], or maybe we want to change something with the new building, so then the building\u2019s a little bit delayed. You know, it could just be like the normal things that you would expect because you\u2019re trying to build something that has all the resources and everything you need, but for a team that you haven\u2019t operated yet. So you think you know, but along the way, you\u2019re like, boom, I actually want it this way, not that way. And so there are a few audibles along the way. And those are normal things to have, so we\u2019re just cruising along step by step.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\"Work
\nJerry Perez, NurPhoto via Getty<\/p>\n

I listened to your episode of the\u00a0Beyond the Grid<\/a>\u00a0podcast, and I enjoyed the part about your baseball career and aspirations, and how you pivoted to numbers and business and just owned it. And along those lines, I also recall Cassidy posting a video on social media of you doing some algebra problems on your phone while relaxing at home, with the caption \u201cOur Instagram algorithms are so different.\u201d I loved that. I love that that\u2019s your world. How has all of that prepared you to dive into IndyCar with Andretti Global and then this massive project in F1?<\/p>\n

I think it\u2019s a combination of business acumen, understanding the numbers, but also having the leadership and understanding of team sports. It\u2019s about how to bring all of that together and how to build a team. You know, it\u2019s a culture. You can put a lot of talented people together, but it doesn\u2019t necessarily make a team, and it won\u2019t necessarily have the right culture. Successful businesses, high-performing, high-functioning businesses and teams have communication, and they have alignment. We call them organizations [for a reason], which means that they should be moving together without wasted effort.<\/p>\n

When you think about F1, the fact that you have a cost cap and that you have limited time, the more the team can move without wasted effort, the better off we will be and the more effective we will be. So being able to bring those skills to shape this team in such a way that it attracts the best of the best to want to work here; something that cuts out all the nonsense and noise, politics, dysfunction, and says, \u2018Come work here for the job that you always thought you wanted, because racing is exciting. Come here to perform and be the best of the best, have all the resources, the right culture, come here to get the most out of your career, to contribute the most to the team, so that this team can win.\u2019 That\u2019s a [long] journey and a [long] process, but that\u2019s the one that we\u2019re on, and those are the ambitions that we have.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s a popular quote in racing, especially in Indianapolis, where so many ventures have been born and died: \u201cIf you want to become a millionaire in racing, you gotta start out with a billion dollars.\u201d What does someone with your business background, but also your recent full immersion into the business of racing, think of that?<\/p>\n

That\u2019s really not something that we even think about. From the TWG Global and General Motors perspective, these are large companies with shareholders. As organizations, they have counted the costs and understand what it takes to get into F1, and that\u2019s been part of the calculus and the decision to get into the sport. So, it\u2019s really about performance and building that up. I think we have a very good thesis and understanding of the growth in motorsport and [because of TWG\u2019s other franchises] the growth in live sports and entertainment, especially in the U.S.\u2029And we\u2019re seeing that grow on a global scale with expansion in MLB, in the NFL, and the NBA. Motorsport is no different from that. So that [risk] certainly is there, but this is really about the Cadillac brand, about having the resources, about creating those special moments in time, and about building winners.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf everything is rigid, hierarchical, and overly structured, those organizations can\u2019t adapt to changes and changing environments. It\u2019s building the team with the idea that nothing is static, change is inevitable, so it\u2019s built to evolve.\u201d<\/p>\n

-Dan Towriss<\/p>\n

\"Cadillac<\/p>\n

\"(L\/R)
\nTop: Dan Towriss and Cadillac F1 Team Principal Graeme Lowdon. Bottom: (Center) Dan and Cassidy Towriss. (Left) GM CEO Mary Barra and husband Tony Barra. (Right) GM President Mark Russ and wife Kim Reuss. David Davies, Giorgia Viera via Getty<\/p>\n

The journey to finally getting the green light to come to F1\u2014first under the Andretti banner, then not, and I was very vocal about the unfairness of it all<\/a>\u2014was long and arduous. Do you ever pause for a second and pinch yourself and say, \u2018We\u2019re finally here\u2019? <\/p>\n

Yeah, I think so, especially on days when someone\u2019s feeling stressed out! Cassidy, my wife, is quick to remind us that we fought for the right to be stressed, we fought for the right to work this hard, you know? And then you remind yourself, you\u2019re exactly where you want to be, and it\u2019s okay that it\u2019s hard. It should be hard. And that\u2019s what makes it a competition, and it just resets that drive to move forward.<\/p>\n

Since you mentioned her, and I hate to bring this up without her here, but you already know I\u2019m a huge fan of Cassidy. I believe she brings a lot, not just to the team, but I love what she represents in F1 and all of motorsport. Someone who speaks her mind and has drive. She doesn\u2019t adjust to the establishment, but quite the opposite\u2014and she truly adores racing. That\u2019s gotta be pretty cool for you?<\/p>\n

It\u2019s been amazing for me to sit back and watch her contributions to the team and her vision on certain things. It really wasn\u2019t the plan at the beginning that she was going to have a role with the team. In some of the early meetings I was in, the conversations we were having on the team kit, I think her ideas and what she brought, the value that she brought to those meetings, a lot of the folks on the team saw that, and they sought that opinion out. It was actually their idea to bring her on in this role. She was invited in\u2014it wasn\u2019t like I put out a proclamation and said, \u2018Hey, guys, make space. My wife really likes Formula 1, so give her a role.\u2019 It wasn\u2019t like that at all. She was invited in to contribute, and people respect her opinions. For me, I just get to sit back, smile, and watch, and I love seeing people see the value in her that I\u2019ve always known was there.<\/p>\n

\"American<\/p>\n

\"MIAMI,<\/p>\n

\"MELBOURNE,
\nKym Illman, William West via Getty<\/p>\n

For what it\u2019s worth, I think we need more Cassidys in this sport.<\/p>\n

Be careful what you wish for!<\/p>\n

Lastly, the season started with an unexpected five-week break after the Middle Eastern races were canceled, and then an amendment to the regulations, and surely there will be more along the way. Those last-minute changes are tough on all teams, but especially one that\u2019s still in its infancy. How do you manage those last-minute surprises?<\/p>\n

That\u2019s where this culture and communication thing helps out, so when something changes, it makes an organization adaptable and flexible.\u2029If everything is rigid, hierarchical, and overly structured, those organizations can\u2019t adapt to changes and changing environments. It\u2019s building the team with the idea that nothing is static, change is inevitable, so it\u2019s built to evolve. It\u2019s built to adapt. And that\u2019s really the mindset of the culture, and that\u2019s the \u201cwhy\u201d behind things like alignment, culture, and collaboration across teams. It\u2019s Graeme [Lowdon]\u2019s philosophy as a team principal to have one team, and it\u2019s those shared values that drive us.<\/p>\n

\"MIAMI,<\/p>\n

\"MIAMI,
\nMario Renzi, Hector Vivas via Getty<\/p>\n

Back to Europe<\/p>\n

After jumping from Australia to Asia for the Chinese and Japanese GPs, and then to North America for Miami and Montreal, it\u2019s time to head back to Europe. With the Canadian GP fresh in the rearview mirror, team leadership and the rest of the Cadillac crew are on a high at the moment. Both cars showed good pace during every stint, and with it being a Sprint weekend, there were many of them. Checo delivered a solid quali performance and even climbed up to 11th during Saturday\u2019s Sprint, before a penalty knocked him back down the order. However, a rather dramatic and very sudden suspension failure ended his race early on Sunday, reminding everyone that there\u2019s still a lot of development, a lot of testing\u2014and still just a lot of work ahead of them.<\/p>\n

But as Dan said, these \u201care normal things to have,\u201d so they just have to take it \u201cstep by step.\u201d<\/p>\n

Email the author at jerry@thedrive.com<\/p>\n

As deputy editor, Jerry draws on a decade of industry experience and a lifelong passion for motorsports to guide The Drive\u2019s short- and long-term coverage.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The biggest car news and reviews, no BS Our free daily newsletter sends the stories that really matter…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":701803,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[441],"tags":[49,4228,48,578,576,577,82],"class_list":["post-701802","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-formula-1","tag-ca","tag-cadillac","tag-canada","tag-f1","tag-formula-1","tag-formula1","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/701802","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=701802"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/701802\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/701803"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=701802"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=701802"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=701802"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}