Cadillac reveal timeline for 'abruptly' firing its first F1 team principal

Cadillac CEO Dan Towriss has revealed that the decision to replace Graeme Lowdon as team principal had been months in the making, despite the Briton only learning of his dismissal on the morning of the announcement.

Marcin Budkowski was confirmed as Lowdon's replacement on Wednesday, bringing an abrupt end to the latter's near four-year involvement in building Cadillac's Formula 1 operation.

However, Towriss stressed that the decision was not prompted by a single result or the reliability problems which have blighted Cadillac's debut season.

"It was my decision. It wasn’t a mutual decision," Towriss explained to media, including RacingNews365. "Really, the process started a few months ago, to explore really thinking about what the next phase for Cadillac Formula 1 looks like.

"What’s the right timing, how would that look? And the capabilities of the various folks out there. Obviously, we were delighted in the conversation with Marcin, and how that relationship evolved.

"So Graeme and I spoke this morning. It is a very recent conversation from that perspective, but there’s no easy way to make this transition within Formula 1.

"Can you imagine the press if Marcin is strolling through for a tour of the factory or we’re having these conversations?

"It becomes destabilising at that point, and so it’s important to respect the purview of the leadership that’s in place at that time. So it does compress the decision-making; the timeline, how these things come together, makes it feel more abrupt than it would be otherwise.

"But it’s the nature of Formula 1, and it’s the way it had to happen."

'The time for that change came sooner'

Lowdon was appointed Cadillac's first team principal in December 2024 and played a central role in turning the project from an unsuccessful Andretti bid into the 11th team on the F1 grid.

The former Virgin, Marussia and Manor executive helped establish the organisation, recruit its workforce and oversee its arrival in Melbourne, before leading the team through its opening 11 grands prix.

Yet Cadillac has struggled to translate that foundation into results. The team remains 11th and pointless, with nine DNFs across the first 11 rounds, including double retirements in Austria and Hungary.

There have been signs of progress in pace, but operational and reliability issues have repeatedly prevented Cadillac from capitalising. Its best race finish remains Bottas' P13 in China.

Towriss insisted those problems were not themselves the reason for Lowdon's removal, but acknowledged the transition had arrived earlier than anticipated.

"Graeme and I always talked about that there would be a transition at some point," he said when discussing the timing of the change.

"This decision was mine, and I think there’s a very narrow window of opportunity when you look at what we’re building; an opportunity to build something new and innovative.

"What I didn’t want to do was build something that’s already been done, something that’s old, and then try to improve it.

"The time for that change came sooner than was expected. But really, I wouldn’t say that it’s the performance or the teething issues over the last few weeks.

"It’s really about just having a clear vision on what we’re building in the future, the rate of progress, and making sure that that matches the ambitions of ownership."

Budkowski brings a different experience

The change moves Cadillac from a leader whose primary task was building an F1 organisation to one with extensive experience of developing an established team.

Budkowski has held senior roles with Ferrari, McLaren and the FIA before becoming Renault's executive director and subsequently Alpine's team principal. Towriss believes that experience can help Cadillac's next phase, while Lowdon's contribution remains central to what has already been achieved.

"I don’t think it’s fair to say that he was here in an interim capacity," Towriss said.

"It really is a function of performance and how things evolved, and those are certainly going to be discussions that are going to be kept between Graeme and me as to where those aligned and where they didn’t align.

"What I can say is what was accomplished; I have immense respect for Graeme, and we have been through a lot over… this wasn’t an interim period for me and for Graeme.

"It’s almost a four-year period of planning and building and doing all the pieces. It was the right time based on the circumstances that exist both within the sport and within the team, and so this is the right time and the right place to make that step going forward.

"Anytime we’re making a transition in Formula 1, as you guys know, it’s very difficult to keep it quiet. There weren’t a myriad of leaks around that."

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