Graeme Lowdon, who will serve as team principal for the new Cadillac F1 entry, has stated that the team will choose its drivers for the 2026 debut season based strictly on merit. This comes after the team has significantly narrowed down its list of potential candidates.
The team, backed by General Motors, is set to become the eleventh competitor on the Formula 1 grid in 2026 but has not yet announced its driver lineup.
Lowdon indicated that Cadillac already has a “fairly good idea” of who they are interested in signing.
He explained that their driver search is currently “out of sync” with other teams because they were not involved in recent driver discussions before their entry was confirmed. This unusual position, however, reduces competitive tension and gives them more time to make decisions.
Lowdon emphasized that the immediate priority is developing the car itself. He stated, “the number one priority for us as a team is to have something for the driver to drive and that is where a lot of the management bandwidth is focused.”
Experienced drivers like Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas are mentioned as possible candidates. Perez, who left Red Bull last season and is taking a year off, could provide valuable experience. Similarly, Bottas, now a reserve driver for Mercedes after leaving Sauber, is seen as another option. Both would bring crucial experience to a new team.
Given that a key reason for Cadillac`s entry into F1 is to boost the sport`s popularity in the United States, it is widely anticipated that at least one American driver will join the team for their first season.
IndyCar standout Colton Herta, who was previously linked to F1 a few years ago, is considered a prominent American candidate. However, Lowdon was clear that driver selection will not be based on nationality.
Lowdon acknowledged the public desire to see “an American driver in an American team with an American engine at some stage.”
He firmly stated, however, that F1 is a world championship where selections must be based on merit. He added that there is “nothing stopping a girl or boy with an American passport driving for an American Formula 1 team” if they are the best candidate.
Lowdon reiterated, “We will select on merit. If the driver happens to be an American, then I think it`s something the fans would really like, but this is a world championship, we`ve got to respect it, and we want to be as competitive as we can. So we choose everyone in the team on merit.”
Is Cadillac Facing a Race Against Time for 2026?
Dan Towriss, CEO of TWG Motorsport (partnering with General Motors for the Cadillac entry), described the challenge of being fully prepared for the 2026 season, which begins with pre-season testing in late January.
Lowdon commented that calling it “a race against time sounds dramatic,” despite the team also undertaking the significant task of building a new manufacturing base in Indiana, which requires work to be done in multiple locations simultaneously.
He stressed the absolute deadline: “As everybody knows, they`ll be tuning into the first Grand Prix next year and we have to be there. We can`t turn up a week later and do the race behind everyone else.”
Lowdon added that they have countdown clocks in their facilities, similar to those in existing F1 garages, constantly reminding everyone of the deadline for the first race in 2026.
He concluded that these clocks are a good reminder that “time tends to accelerate” under pressure, and while they are not yet racing on the track, they are fiercely “racing in the factory” to meet their target.
Gilbert Pendleton