F1: Cadillac appoints Budkowski as team principal, replacing Lowdon

The Cadillac Formula 1 team announced Wednesday the appointment of Marcin Budkowski as its new team principal.

The 49-year-old Pole will take charge from next week's Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort after Cadillac described the move as part of a planned leadership transition.

Valtteri Bottas' Cadillac sits in its garage during practice for the F1 Japanese Grand Prix, at Suzuka Circuit, March 26, 2026 (Photo by Song Haiyuan/Xinhua)

Budkowski succeeds Graeme Lowdon, who joined the project in December 2024 and helped build the team ahead of its F1 debut.

"We're grateful to Graeme Lowdon for his leadership and the role he played in forming the Cadillac Formula 1 Team from the ground up," Cadillac CEO Dan Towriss said.

"His contributions helped establish a strong foundation in our build-up phase, and we thank him for his commitment and wish him well."

Towriss said Budkowski's appointment marked "another important step in the continued evolution" of the team.

"From the beginning, our goal has not been simply to participate in Formula 1, but to build a next-generation team capable of competing at the very front," he said.

"As we enter this new era for Cadillac, Marcin brings exceptional F1 experience, technical expertise and strategic leadership that will strengthen our organisation and help us develop the winning mindset, tools and processes required for long-term success."

Budkowski has spent more than two decades in F1 in technical and management roles. He began his career as an aerodynamicist with Prost before holding engineering positions at Ferrari and McLaren.

He later joined the FIA as head of F1's technical department before moving to Renault in 2018 as executive director, a high-profile switch that attracted attention from rival teams because of his regulatory background.

Budkowski later shared team principal responsibilities with Davide Brivio during the 2021 season before leaving the team, which was later renamed Alpine. Since then, he has worked as a consultant and television analyst.

"Cadillac Formula 1 Team has an extraordinary foundation and ambition," Budkowski said.

"This is a phase of huge opportunity for the team, one that will be defined by a clear objective: maximising car development within the cost cap and turning every team function on to compete.

"That means building an elite organisation with a winning mindset, driven, relentless in the face of setbacks, obsessed with detail and process, and able to execute with precision on race day."

Budkowski added that his priority would be improving the team's decision-making and development process.

"My focus will be on aligning our people, tools and information flow so the right decisions are made quickly, and the performance of the car improves every time we go racing," he said. "It is a privilege to be leading Cadillac's on-track efforts, starting in Zandvoort next weekend."

Cadillac entered F1 this season as the championship's 11th team and remains without a point at the season's halfway mark.

Despite occupying last place in the constructors' standings, the team, including drivers Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas, has generally performed in line with expectations.

The squad is still building up its long-term infrastructure, including construction of a new facility in Indiana, while balancing development of this year's car with preparations for the 2027 season.