In all respects the clock will tick Cadillac’s entry in Formula 1 next year.
In March, Cadillac, supported by General Motors and TWG Motorsports, received final Approval of Formula 1, Expand the grid to 11 teams for the first time since 2016.
“As soon as we received the entry, one of the things that changed that they have put a countdown in the factory in Silverstone,” Dan Towriss, the Chief Executive of TWG Motorsportsaid in an interview in April. The company is a Division of TWG Global, which has a sports portfolio with the Chelsea Football Club and the Los Angeles Dodgers and Lakers.
“We know exactly how many days was fired at the engine, how many days to the first race,” he said. “That is how we should think about it because there is so much work to do between now and then. It moves faster than I want.”
The entry of Cadillac started life as Andretti Formula Racing two years ago. The FIA, the administrative body of Formula 1, approved the proposal of Michael Andretti, the first force behind the bid. A few months later it was rejected by Formula 1.
In one Interview a year ago with the New York TimesAndretti said he would fight. Last fall he took a step back as Chief Executive of Andretti Global, who owns teams in Indycar, Formula E, Extreme E and Australian Supercars. He decided: “It was time to pass the baton to his business partner Towriss.
“From Michael’s point of view, he was very great in a certain way,” said Towriss, who has known Andretti since 2017. “He didn’t want to stand in the way of this project.
“It was a long process, a tax process, and so he chose to get away. He was not asked to leave, he was not asked to leave. I think he saw that a level of acceptance was not there for him.”
Towriss said that the move “opened the door” with Formula 1. Five months later, Stefano Domenicali, Formula 1, welcomed President and Chief Executive, Cadillac.
With the dedication of GM to bring in a Cadillac team, Domenicali said: “It was an important and positive demonstration of the evolution of our sport.”
Cadillac will be the second American car maker that is present in sport. Ford offers electricity units to Red Bull, also starting in 2026.
Towriss is sad that Andretti was resigning. “Just enormous respect for what the family foundation is in Motorsport, for him personally, for Mario and the family from that point of view,” he said, referring to Andretti’s father.
“My personal opinion is that it all felt a bit unfair to be chosen that way,” he said. “To his honor, at some point you just have to accept the situation for what it is and continue. With his blessing that is what we did.”
The team did not stand still throughout the entire process. Employees were hired and the facility in Silverstone, England, was opened a year ago as a supplement to his head office near Indianapolis. The approval of Formula 1 has accelerated the growth of the project.
Without a guarantee of Formula 1 of Acceptance, the company still had to enter into a commitment. “It wasn’t for Bangeriken,” said Towriss.
“It takes a long time to build a Formula 1 team. I don’t think someone on our side, or someone who knows the sport, thinks you can just appear and in a short period, do that.
“If we had waited for the point that we were approved and then said,” Great, let’s start hiring people now, let’s start building: “We would be far from racing at the time.”
Towriss said that Graeme Lowdon, an old Formula 1 director who advised the team, was a great seller in convincing people to become a member of the team. Lowdon was Chief Executive of the now -called Manor Racing.
He had also been a consultant about the acquisition in 2020 of the Williams Formula 1 team by Dorilton Capital, a private investment firm whose headquarters is in New York City.
Lowdon was announced in December as the Team head of Cadillac. “In the beginning, a large part of the advice was to tell them to build the team now,” he said in an interview in April.
“Then my engagement changed because they said,” Okay, we are happy with all this advice. Now you ask us to build a team. Can you advise you to do it? ” I think I must have earned their confidence, and they must have had faith in what I do because they asked me to be the team principle. “
The position was offered, did not come out of nowhere. “Even at our entry I was down as the team principle,” he said. “For two years, on our racing license – and we have an American racing license and an international racing license – it is my photo on it. That was something that was considered fairly early.”
During the two years, Lowdon never doubted that the bid would fail. “There is absolutely no scenario on earth where you could prevent a perfectly good sports team to participate in a world championship,” he said, although there was a consequence.
“The thing that worried me and emphasized me enormously, and I have to say that it had a lot of toll, was that it is one thing that it will certainly happen, it is another saying when.
“We fully respected the process. Our role was to answer questions, but there is only so much that you can do. That was an unpleasant and extremely difficult period.”
The team has around 350 employees, with an objective of 550 towards the end of the year. Pat SymondsFormer Chief Technical Officer of Formula 1 has become the Executive Engineering consultant. And Nick Chester, once technical director at Renault, is the Chief Technical Officer.
“I thought it would be super difficult to hire people, but it was much easier than I thought,” Lowdon said. “The reality is that we were very lucky. We were in a position where many of the early discussions with important people who came on board shared the vision.”
“On the day our entry was confirmed, we wrote to them, with an old-fashioned letter. It was not a ‘at-all’ e-mail. The reason for that is that they had all taken a bit of a leap into the faith, and we wanted to show our appreciation personally.”
During the first three seasons, Cadillac is powered by Ferrari engines until GM builds its power unit, which will debut in 2029.
Mark Reuss, the president of GM, said in an interview in April that it was “a moment full of pride, a real historical event for the entire company” when Formula 1 confirmed the entry.
From 2026 to 2028, GM will support Technisch Cadillac, including aerodynamics, performance engineering and production as it builds to become ‘a clear American team’, Reuss said.
He is aware of the challenge that occurs. “GM and Cadillac have been at the forefront for more than a century and win in elite series,” he said. “We do not underestimate the competitive level or the level of dedication in F1.”
With nine months to go until the first Cadillac/GM car touches the track when testing the preseason, the race is on, with the Countdown clock that offers a continuous update.
“The last time that was everywhere,” said Lowdon, referring to Towriss, “he spoke to everyone at Silverstone and he ended his address by saying:” As you can see on the wall, we have X number left, so let’s accept. “
“Everyone knows what the mission is.”
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