Cadillac has made a major leadership change midway through its debut Formula 1 season, appointing Marcin Budkowski as its new team principal in place of Graeme Lowdon. The American team has described the change as part of a planned transition designed to move the organisation from its initial construction phase towards long-term operational and competitive growth.
Marcin Budkowski arrives with more than two decades of Formula 1 experience spanning Ferrari, McLaren, the FIA and Renault-Alpine. His first race weekend in charge will come immediately after the summer break at Zandvoort, where Cadillac begins the second half of 2026 still searching for its first championship points.
Marcin Budkowski replaces Graeme Lowdon at Cadillac
Cadillac CEO Dan Towriss welcomed the appointment by presenting it as another significant step in the development of the Formula 1 project.
“Marcin’s appointment marks another fundamental step in the continued evolution of the Cadillac Formula 1 Team,” Dan Towriss said. “From the very beginning, our objective has not simply been to participate in Formula 1, but to build a new-generation team capable of competing at the front.”
“As we begin this new era, Marcin brings extraordinary experience, technical expertise and strategic leadership that will strengthen our organisation and help us develop the winning mentality, tools and processes needed for lasting success.”
Dan Towriss also thanked outgoing team principal Graeme Lowdon, who played a central role in building Cadillac’s Formula 1 operation from the ground up.
“We are grateful to Graeme Lowdon for his leadership and for the role he played in founding the team from scratch. His contribution helped establish a strong foundation during our formation phase. We thank him for his commitment and wish him all the best.”
The leadership change comes while Cadillac is still expanding its physical infrastructure. Graeme Lowdon recently detailed the scale of the project, including the development of Cadillac’s new F1 facilities in Fishers and Silverstone.
Marcin Budkowski brings extensive Ferrari, McLaren and FIA experience
Marcin Budkowski’s arrival adds one of the most experienced technical and management figures in the paddock to Cadillac’s operation. The 49-year-old Polish-French engineer, born in Warsaw, studied aeronautical and combustion engineering before beginning his Formula 1 career with Prost Grand Prix in 2001 as an aerodynamics specialist.
He later joined Ferrari and contributed during one of the most successful periods in the team’s history between 2002 and 2007. Marcin Budkowski subsequently moved to McLaren, where he took on increasingly senior responsibilities before becoming Head of Aerodynamics in 2012.
A move to the FIA followed, giving Marcin Budkowski extensive experience of Formula 1 from the regulatory side as well as from within individual teams. His responsibilities included senior technical and sporting roles, providing him with detailed knowledge of the regulations and the wider operation of the championship.
Marcin Budkowski returned to a Formula 1 constructor in 2018 with Renault, later helping oversee the transition of the organisation into Alpine. He served as Executive Director and as a member of the team’s leadership structure before leaving in early 2022.
In recent years, Marcin Budkowski has worked as a strategic adviser across several areas of global motorsport before accepting the challenge of leading Cadillac.
Budkowski sets Cadillac development target under the cost cap
Marcin Budkowski will begin his operational role when Formula 1 returns from its summer break for the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort. His priorities for the remainder of Cadillac’s first season are already clear, with particular emphasis on maximising development resources and improving the speed of decision-making within the organisation.
“The Cadillac Formula 1 Team has extraordinary foundations and ambition,” Marcin Budkowski said. “This is a phase of enormous opportunity for the team, defined by one clear objective: maximising car development within the cost cap and activating every function of the team so that we can compete.”
“That means building an elite organisation with a winning mentality: determined, relentless when facing difficulties, obsessed with details and processes, and capable of executing every operation with precision on race day.”
Marcin Budkowski also identified communication and decision-making as areas he wants to strengthen immediately.
“My focus will be on aligning our people, tools and flow of information so that the right decisions are made quickly and the performance of the car improves every time we go racing. It is a privilege to lead the team’s on-track efforts starting next weekend at Zandvoort.”
His first weekend in charge will therefore come at the 2026 Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort, immediately placing the new management structure under competitive scrutiny.
Cadillac still searching for its first Formula 1 points
Cadillac currently sits last in the 2026 Formula 1 constructors’ standings with zero points. The American team came extremely close to breaking its duck at Monaco, where Sergio Perez initially secured a top-10 result before losing the point following a penalty related to his incorrect positioning on the grid at the race restart.
The difficult opening campaign has already included numerous reliability and performance setbacks, with Cadillac reaching the summer shutdown after a first half of the season marked by zero points and nine retirements.
Cadillac is currently using Ferrari power units while it continues building the foundations of its longer-term Formula 1 programme. The team is also attracting attention in the 2027 driver market, with young Ferrari talent Rafael Camara among the names linked with a possible future seat currently occupied by Valtteri Bottas.
Those discussions form part of a much wider question over how Cadillac wants to shape its second Formula 1 season, with the team already targeting a substantial step forward for 2027.
For Marcin Budkowski, however, the immediate challenge begins with extracting more performance from the current organisation. Cadillac has spent its first months in Formula 1 building infrastructure, recruiting personnel and learning how to operate at the highest level. His task is now to turn those foundations into faster decisions, a stronger car and, ultimately, championship points.
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