The Cadillac Formula 1 programme has named Graeme Lowdon as team principal of the new team ahead of its entry in 2026.
The American brand will join the grid for the new era of regulations after a reworked package was presented to F1 after more than a year of trying to make it onto the scene.
Lowdon, who formerly served as CEO for the Virgin/Marussia/Manor F1 outfit and also took the Manor name to the World Endurance Championship, has been given the team principal role having helped lay the foundations of the championship's 11th team.
The 59-year-old Briton was part of the previously unsuccessful bid between GM and Andretti F1 headed by Michael Andretti, which was accepted by the governing body the FIA but refused entry by F1 itself because the bid wasn't deemed to add enough value to the series.
Andretti stepped back from the project earlier this year and ceded control to the majority owner TWG Global, with CEO Dan Towriss largely responsible for the reworking of GM's proposals after taking over at the helm.
“I believe that Formula 1 is the greatest team sport in the world, and teams are all about people. This is a team with a real love for, and desire to go, racing, and we have the experience and expertise to do just that," said Lowdon.
"Racing is at the very heart of everything that we do. This is what I want to see in a team, and I really want to be part of it. I don’t underestimate the task ahead and I have the utmost respect for the competition. I look forward to the challenge of racing. In the meantime, our work continues at pace.”
As well as helping to build the Cadillac entry from the bottom up, Lowdon has been in the F1 paddock as part of Zhou Guanyu's nearest circle.
Towriss noted that it was Lowdon's time with the team over the past two years that had cemented his role at the top: "His experience on both the technical and managerial sides of Formula 1 and other motorsports ventures will serve him well as he builds the Cadillac Formula 1 team."
On the role he has performed with GM, president Mark Reuss said: “Graeme has been a pleasure to work with over the past two years and we’re excited he will lead our journey to the 2026 Formula 1 grid as team principal.
“He has great racing expertise, he knows how to assemble a high-performing team and he embodies the values the Cadillac Formula 1 Team will represent in all its endeavors, on or off the track.”
