Towriss explains shock decision to replace Lowdon as Cadillac team principal

Cadillac F1 CEO Dan Towriss has confirmed that removing Graeme Lowdon as team principal was solely his call, with Marcin Budkowski immediately taking the helm. Towriss revealed the succession process began months ago, explaining that Lowdon was not part of the initial effort to find his own replacement and that the timeline compressed to avoid destabilizing the team.

Why it matters:

The mid-season change exposes Cadillac's impatience with its inaugural campaign, which has been respectable on pace but undermined by chronic reliability failures. For a new team backed by General Motors, the move reflects a belief that stronger technical leadership is required now to avoid building an outdated structure and to align the organization with ownership's ambitions before the 2027 cycle accelerates.

The details:

• Towriss insisted the split was not mutual, though he praised Lowdon's four-year contribution to building the team and leading it onto the 2026 grid.
• Persistent technical issues have plagued the MAC-26, including brake failures that caused fires and suspension problems forcing retirements for Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez.
• Budkowski identified reliability as the most urgent priority, noting that lost race mileage has blocked the team from understanding its car and that he must heal any disconnect between factory and trackside crews.
• Towriss said the team needed a leader with deep technical roots and fresh perspective, citing Budkowski's experience at Alpine, the FIA, McLaren, and Ferrari as a better fit.
• Head of communications Lucy Genon has also exited, with Adrian Atkinson stepping in on an interim basis alongside his GM motorsport duties.

What's next:

Budkowski will split his first week between the Silverstone factory and the Zandvoort race to evaluate processes. Towriss said remaining 2026 upgrades will continue, but the leadership change is designed to springboard a culture shift and leverage GM's untapped engineering depth ahead of next year's car.