Cadillac replace F1 team principal in shock twist

Graeme Lowdon is stepping down from his role as Cadillac team principal, with the returning Marcin Budkowski taking his place, the F1 grid's newest team announced on Wednesday.

Lowdon had been part of the F1 project — created by General Motors and TWG Motorsports — from the very beginning.

He first played a key role in the often complicated process of securing the entry rights, before being appointed team principal in early December 2024.

The exit of the 61-year-old British specialist, who previously worked as the CEO of the Virgin/Marussia teams and later as a driver manager, was announced in an official statement.

As expected, the Ferrari-powered Cadillac team's debut season has been full of struggles. Running two experienced drivers, Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas, the team faced continuous technical issues throughout the first half of the season.

The performance of their car, designated the MAC-26, fell far short of even the lower midfield, and they failed to produce any significant progress since the start of the season.

Lowdon will be replaced by a highly experienced professional, Polish engineer Marcin Budkowski, who arrives with two decades of F1 engineering and managerial experience.

New team principal, new direction

The 49-year-old specialist began his career in 2001, working as an engineer for Prost. Later, he joined Ferrari and worked there from 2002 to 2007, during a significant part of the Michael Schumacher era, and then joined McLaren, where he stayed from 2007 to 2014.

His next step was a move to the FIA, where he became the F1 technical and sporting coordinator—effectively heading the technical department responsible for F1.

In 2017, Budkowski joined Renault as executive technical director, managing the team's day-to-day operations while also overseeing the HR and finance departments, as well as the recruitment of new talent.

He remained with the Enstone-based team during its transition to Alpine, where he was appointed executive director.

He celebrated a race victory with the team at the Hungarian Grand Prix,  courtesy of Esteban Ocon, before leaving the outfit in January 2022.

The appointment of the highly respected specialist as team principal indicates that the team owners are looking to shift gears and accelerate the rookie squad's progress.