Cadillac commits to U.S. base for F1 team, but American drivers only on merit

The Cadillac Formula 1 team will run the majority of its project out of its new facility in Indiana, but will only select an American driver as part of its line-up if they earn their place on merit, according to team principal Graeme Lowdon. F1 and the FIA confirmed last week that Cadillac has fulfilled all of its requirements to join the grid in 2026, paving the way for the 11th team to fully prepare for its debut. While Cadillac has previously suggested an American driver would be part of the set-up, Lowdon said that will only be the case if they prove themselves capable, and admitted that any chance of selecting Colton Herta (main image) could be taken out of his hands if the Californian doesn’t secure an FIA Super License this year. “We need to select drivers on merit,” he said. “Luckily for us, there are a lot of good drivers out there. Unfortunately, we’ve not been able to be in the driver market until the entry is confirmed. So it’s a little bit too early to go too much into any detail, because it’s only now that we’re able to have meaningful conversations. “For sure we want to have drivers that can contribute to the overall program. The obvious question is whether we’ll have American drivers? And personally, I see no reason why an American driver can’t be selected on merit as well. “It’s certainly something I think that the fans would like to see. And I see no reason why that can’t happen. But the overriding objective is merit. We’ve got a job to do here.” There are fewer question marks over the American connection to the team’s headquarters. Cadillac has facilities in multiple U.S. locations – including Indiana, North Carolina and Michigan – as well as Silverstone in the United Kingdom, and Lowdon says Fishers in Indiana will be the focal point. “Formula 1 is a global sport, but make no mistake, this is an American team, it will race under an American flag,” Lowdon said. “The headquarters of the team is in Fishers. That’s where the team will be centered. “We’re building a very impressive facility at Fishers at the moment, which is quite advanced… The construction work is well, well, well underway. The external fabric of the building is all complete now and it’s an incredibly impressive facility. “But also, looking at the practicalities of competing in Formula 1, it does make sense to have a European base. And we’ve chosen Silverstone for that base. And there’s a number of reasons that fed into that, but not least of which is access to experienced talent. “If you walk into the offices at Silverstone at the moment, you will recognize virtually everybody that’s in there. And it would have been far too difficult to try and build a team in a location where some of the experienced human resource wasn’t in place. So some functions will be carried out at Silverstone, some will be built up over time at Fishers. “One of the activities that we will be doing at Silverstone is the European turnaround in logistics, because it just makes sense to do that. Every team has a logistics hub in Europe for supporting races that are not structured for flyaway freight. But we will also have a small manufacturing facility at Silverstone, which is primarily making the components for the wind tunnel model. “The wind tunnel that we’re using is in Cologne, we have a long term agreement to use that tunnel. And it makes sense to have the manufacturing capability for that in a location that’s a little bit nearer than Indianapolis. So in summary, it’s an American team, it’s based in the U.S.” Lowdon said the additional facilities that Cadillac will have as part of the F1 project helps cement its place within multiple motorsport heartlands. “The facilities … when you see them, I certainly hope you would agree, is a huge addition to just the Formula 1 ecosystem. It really is something else that’s being constructed there. But we will have a presence at Silverstone. We also have a presence in Charlotte, North Carolina. At present, we have a lot of activity with our colleagues at GM and the GM Technical Center is at Charlotte and North Carolina. “So one thing that I think is quite cool, but that’s because I’m interested in this sport, is it’s quite cool to have a team that has these three legs on the stool. One is in Charlotte, which is kind of the capital of NASCAR. One is in Indianapolis, which is the capital of IndyCar. And the other is in Silverstone, which is the home of Formula 1. “So in terms of buzz and excitement whenever you’re in a Cadillac Formula 1 team location, there’s just motor racing DNA all around it. And that’s another thing that I find certainly super-attractive.”