Cadillac F1 replace team principal Graeme Lowdon with Marcin Budkowski

Cadillac have sacked team principal Graeme Lowdon midway through their debut Formula 1 season, replacing him with former Alpine chief Marcin Budkowski.

The surprise leadership change comes during the sport’s summer break, just a week before the campaign resumes at the Dutch Grand Prix in Zandvoort.

Chief executive Dan Towriss made the swift decision to remove Lowdon after just 11 races on the grid.

‘A narrow window of opportunity’

Mid-season managerial exits are relatively rare in motorsport, making the sudden departure of the British executive highly unexpected.

The American outfit had previously warned they expected to spend their inaugural campaign racing near the back of the pack.

However, Towriss revealed that while a transition was always part of the long-term plan, the timeline was significantly accelerated.

“This decision was mine. I think there’s a very narrow window of opportunity when you look at what we’re building and an opportunity to build something new and innovative,” Towriss explained.

“What I didn’t want to do was build something that’s already been done, something that’s old and then try to improve it.”

Vision and reliability in focus

Towriss dismissed suggestions that recent track performances or early teething issues were the primary catalyst for the dismissal.

Instead, the Cadillac chief pointed towards maintaining a clear vision for future progress and matching the ambitions of the General Motors ownership group.

Budkowski now takes the reins with immediate effect as the sport’s newest team prepares for the second half of the 2026 calendar.

The newly appointed Polish principal has already identified fixing ongoing car reliability problems as his most urgent task.