Last week, Cadillac had its right to enter the 2026 Formula 1 world championship approved after a four-year process that had seen the squad’s effort initially rejected.
While the operation has continued to work away behind the scenes despite an uncertain future, it is now able to break cover.
That renewed freedom affords team boss Graeme Lowdon the ability to properly enter the driver market for the first time.
While that comes with a vested interest in finding an American driver, it is not a guarantee, and the ultimate choice is to be made based on merit rather than nationality.
It’s a process Lowdon is only now embarking on.
“We’ve not been able to be in the driver market until the entry is confirmed,” he explained.
“We want to have drivers that can contribute to the overall program.
“The obvious question is whether we’ll have American drivers.
“Personally, I see no reason why an American driver can’t be selected on merit as well.”
IndyCar race winner Colton Herta has been heavily linked to the program, though he currently does not meet the FIA Super Licence criteria.
The American has previously been linked with a move to AlphaTauri, though Red Bull failed in its attempts to secure an exemption that would have seen him switch from IndyCar to F1 in 2022.
Since then he’s had outings with McLaren, with team boss Andrea Stella speaking highly of the 24-year-old.
“He doesn’t have the required number of Super Licence points,” Lowdon noted.
“If that were to remain the case, then that’s clearly an impediment for him – we can’t choose a driver that doesn’t have the points, that’s just the real world that we live in and we just have to take that into account.
“Does his lack of reaching or lack of being at the threshold for the Super Licence in any way affect his ability to drive a race car? No. He’s incredibly talented driver.
“It’s not shock news that we would be looking to consider Colton alongside a while bunch of other drivers as well.”
The last American to race in F1 was Logan Sargeant, whose tenure at Williams ended abruptly midway through 2024.
Lowdon believes making the switch for Herta, or any other IndyCar driver, will be a challenge given the increase specialisation taking place in motorsport more broadly.
That has seen Cadillac develop a blueprint for what it is looking for in its drivers, work based on Lowdown’s own expertise in the sport.
Lowdon has worked in IndyCar, endurance racing, and F1 previously where he played a foundational role with the ill-fated Manor F1 team.
Most latterly, in addition to working as part of the Cadillac (nee Andretti) project, he manages Chinese racer and current Ferrari reserve driver Zhou Guanyu.
Given Cadillac’s strong interest in China, Zhou has also been strongly linked with the all-new operation.
“I don’t see any particular problem,” Lowdon said of his relationship with the 25-year-old.
“Driver selection will definitely be on merit.
“Zhou has done an exceptionally good job under difficult circumstances over the last couple of years.
“What makes it quite useful for me is he doesn’t necessarily need to explain the background of his abilities because I’ve had a front-row seat.
“There’s the correct checks and balances in place, so there’s no favouritism in any particular direction towards him, or in any other driver we may have involvement with.
“We’re there to do a job, so we’ll select drivers on merit.
“There’s some really good ones out there, Zhou included, and now we’re actually able to engage in and see what the best driver lineup will be for the team.”
Cadillac is chasing experience in at least one of its cockpits.
As an all-new entity, a known quality driver who is able to offer informed feedback is hugely valuable.
It’s an approach consistent with that used in hiring much of the existing 300-strong staff the organisation already has, headlined by ex-Benetton and F1 technical chief Pat Symonds.
Together with Zhou, Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez have also been touted as potential candidates.
Daniel Ricciardo was also initially linked with the project, though that has been soundly rejected by all parties when investigated by Speedcafe.
“In terms of timing, it’s a little bit odd because we’re out of sync with the other teams,” Lowdon said of the team’s position on signing drivers.
“We weren’t in the driver market during a fairly critical last round, so certain drivers are tied up for certain periods
”Do we value experience? Yes, you can see that from how we’re putting the rest of the team together.
“There’s a lot of very experienced people within the management and operational side of the of the team as well, so yes, that is important.
“When you’re looking at driver selection, there’s just a whole bunch of things that go into the decision-making,” he continued.
“It’s capability, experience, but also looking towards the future as well.”
That will include investment in a driver academy, the specifics of which are still being worked out, though Lowdon has a desire to be more than simply a destinate for young drivers but to play an active role in their career – especially Americans.
“We’re not starting a team for the short term here,” Lowdon insisted.
“The partners have made this commitment into Formula 1 very much for the longer term.
“We spoke fairly early on in the process about our desire to also improve opportunities and the ability for the drivers to come through as well.
“We will be looking at some form of academy program and the like, and so looking forward, I see no reason why we won’t have American drivers in the team on merit as well.”
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