Cadillac Confirms Lowdon's Shock Exit Wasn't a Mutual Decision

Cadillac has confirmed that Graeme Lowdon's dismissal as team principal was not a mutual decision, with CEO Dan Towriss revealing Lowdon was only informed on the morning of the announcement.

The surprise decision was made public on Wednesday, during the summer shutdown of Cadillac's debut F1 season. Lowdon has been replaced by Marcin Budkowski, former Alpine executive director, for the remainder of the 2026 campaign and beyond.

Cadillac currently sits at the bottom of the championship without a point after 11 rounds, a situation largely expected for a new team. However, it was initially assumed that Lowdon, who helped build the team from the ground up, would continue long-term.

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Speaking in a media roundtable alongside Budkowski, Towriss stated: "It wasn't a mutual decision. The process started a few months ago: really thinking about what the next phase for Cadillac Formula 1 looks like, what's the right timing, and the capabilities of the various folks out there."

Towriss also explained the need for secrecy: "There's no easy way to make this transition within Formula 1. Can you imagine the press if Marcin strolled through for a tour of the factory or having these conversations? It becomes destabilising at that point. So it does compress the decision-making timeline and makes it feel more abrupt than it would be otherwise."

Addressing speculation that Lowdon was merely an interim appointment, Towriss dismissed the notion: "I don't think it's fair to say that he was here in an interim capacity. It really is a function of performance and how things evolved. Those discussions will remain between Graeme and myself. What I can say is, what was accomplished, I have immense respect for. This isn't an interim period for me and for Graeme; it's almost a four-year period of planning and building."

With this change, Cadillac hopes Budkowski's leadership will steer the team through its challenging debut season and toward future success.