Cadillac Still 'Building the Plane While Flying It' During Debut F1 Season

Cadillac team principal Graeme Lowdon has offered a frank assessment of the squad's infrastructure build, confirming the team is still constructing factories while navigating its debut 2026 season. Spread across Silverstone, Indianapolis, and Charlotte, the operation is taking shape in real time as it chases a maiden Q2 appearance and first world championship points.

Why it matters:

As F1's newest entrant, Cadillac is assembling its foundation while rivals refine finely tuned operations. Lowdon's description of "building the plane while flying in it" captures the scale of the task, with every race weekend doubling as a live audition for the MAC-26 chassis and a rapidly expanding workforce.

The details:

• Global footprint: The team operates from a Silverstone hub, uses GM facilities in North Carolina and Michigan, and rents Toyota's wind tunnel in Cologne.
• Factory construction: A 450,000-square-foot facility in Fishers, Indianapolis, is being built in phases. A separate power unit factory is rising in Charlotte, where Lowdon still tours with "steel toecap boots and a hard hat."
• Recruitment: The outfit is "recruiting like mad" across its growing organization.
• On-track learning: Q2 2026 offered the first real read on the MAC-26 and operational gaps. Lowdon noted that while rivals refine details, Cadillac is still capturing "big chunks" of improvement.

What's next:

Lowdon hinted at "more announcements soon" regarding the Fishers timeline, noting the new simulator is going in now. The Indianapolis base is expected to begin operations next year, with Silverstone also adding capability. For the remainder of 2026, the priority is simple: keep learning, keep building, and ensure no day is wasted.