Cadillac F1: Lowdon calls debut day in Australia ‘hectic’ as team gets first taste of running two cars
cadillac f1 began its debut race weekend with what Team Principal Graeme Lowdon described as a “hectic” first day at the Australian Grand Prix, with both cars completing running in Melbourne and the squad focusing on getting the project underway. The team ran both Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez together for the first time outside testing, encountering lost wing mirrors in Free Practice 1 and a separate issue that affected Perez in second practice. Lowdon framed the day as the start of a long-term programme rather than an end goal, saying the objective was simply to “start racing. ”
Cadillac F1: Lowdon on the Melbourne shakedown
Graeme Lowdon, Team Principal, Cadillac Formula 1 Team, set a measured tone after Friday’s running. “It was very hectic because it’s the first time we’ve ever run two cars! The regulations allow you to run one [in testing], ” he said, describing the day as another in a series of firsts for the new operation. Lowdon acknowledged problems that will need ironing out: “We lost a couple of wing mirrors, but these are the kind of problems that we can iron out and work on. ”
He emphasised the programme’s perspective: “I think on a project like this it’s very easy to see Melbourne as the end objective, and it’s not. Obviously, it’s our first ever Grand Prix for Cadillac Formula 1 Team, so this isn’t our objective. Our objective is to start racing, and that’s what it felt like for me. It was the start of a very, very, very long journey. ”
On-track facts and immediate reactions
Both cars were able to run concurrently in Melbourne after being limited to one-car programmes during testing, and Bottas classified ahead of Alpine’s Pierre Gasly in first practice. The running produced necessary data and exposed mechanical vulnerabilities—mirrors came off in FP1 and Perez’s session in FP2 was affected by an issue on the car.
Voices inside the project underlined the scale of the achievement and the work ahead. Valtteri Bottas, Driver, Cadillac Formula 1 Team, reflected on the team’s rapid build: “For us to do our shakedown in January at Silverstone that was for me a miracle. ” Pat Symonds, Executive Engineering Consultant, Cadillac, added a note of technical confidence: “There’s some real front-of-the-grid stuff happening here. We have a really good foundation. ” Those remarks underline both pride in progress and realism about the challenge of competing at the highest level.
From shakedown to a long-term build — what comes next
Cadillac’s entry has been constructed rapidly from a standing start and carries the stated ambition of becoming a championship-capable operation; the programme has assembled technical leadership and facilities in multiple locations and will use Ferrari engines until a future power unit plan is introduced. The team’s immediate focus in Melbourne is to extract more running, resolve the mechanical problems found on day one and continue the step-by-step development Lowdon described as the project’s true objective.
As the weekend progresses, attention will remain fixed on completing programme items in practice and preparing for qualifying and race sessions, while management and engineering staff evaluate the data gathered in Melbourne. For now, cadillac f1’s priority is steady progress on the track and in the garage as the team embarks on what Lowdon called a very long journey for the new constructor.
