Cadillac appoint Marcin Budkowski as team principal following F1 2026 newcomers' sudden sacking of Graeme Lowdon

Cadillac have sacked team principal Graeme Lowdon and replaced him with Marcin Budkowski in what Formula 1's 2026 newcomers claim is a "planned leadership transition".

Budkowski, whose most recent role in F1 ended when he left his position as Alpine executive director in 2022, takes over with Cadillac as the only team yet to have scored a point during the first 11 rounds of the 2026 season.

The 49-year-old Polish-French engineer's first race in charge will be the Dutch Grand Prix, which sees the season resume from August 21-23 after the sport's four-week summer break.

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Lowdon was appointed team principal of the Cadillac project in December 2024 and had overseen the American-owned outift's preparations for and arrival on the F1 grid, for which they assembled a driver pairing of Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas.

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Cadillac F1 team chief executive Dan Towriss said: "Marcin's appointment marks another important step in the continued evolution of the Cadillac Formula 1 Team.

"From the beginning, our goal has not been simply to participate in Formula 1, but to build a next-generation team capable of competing at the very front.

"As we enter this new era for the Cadillac Formula 1 Team, Marcin brings exceptional F1 experience, technical expertise and strategic leadership that will strengthen our organisation and help us develop the winning mindset, tools and processes required for long-term success."

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While a team statement said that the change "follows a planned leadership transition", there had been no previous indication that Lowdon would not remain in place for at least Cadillac's first season on the grid.

It is not a major surprise that Cadillac, as a new team, have not scored any points, although it is possible there was disappointment from above Lowdon at the technical issues that have resulted in nine grand prix retirements between Perez and Bottas across the first 11 rounds.

Cadillac's reliability has actually worsened as the season has gone on, with the team having managed to get both cars to the chequered flag at only one of the last seven races.

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Towriss added: "We're grateful to Graeme Lowdon for his leadership and the role he played in forming the Cadillac Formula 1 Team from the ground up.

"His contributions helped establish a strong foundation in our build-up phase, and we thank him for his commitment and wish him well."

Budkowski worked at Prost, Ferrari, McLaren and the FIA before joining Renault/Alpine, where he spent four years before leaving in 2022.

Budkowski said: "Cadillac Formula 1 Team has an extraordinary foundation and ambition. This is a phase of huge opportunity for the team, one that will be defined by a clear objective: maximising car development within the cost cap and turning every team function on to compete.

"That means building an elite organisation with a winning mindset - driven, relentless in the face of setbacks, obsessed with detail and process, and able to execute with precision on race day.

"My focus will be on aligning our people, tools and information flow so the right decisions are made quickly, and the performance of the car improves every time we go racing. It is a privilege to be leading Cadillac Formula 1 Team's on-track efforts, starting in Zandvoort next weekend."

The Formula 1 season resumes after the summer break with a Sprint weekend at the Dutch Grand Prix from August 21-23, with every session live on Sky Sports. Stream Sky Sports with NOW - no contract, cancel anytime