Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez have spoken out about the shocking leadership change at Cadillac F1 during Thursday's media session at Zandvoort. A week earlier, the American outfit had dismissed Graeme Lowdon as team principal, replacing him with former Alpine executive Marcin Budkowski.
The decision was announced during Formula 1's summer break, just 11 races into the team's debut season. CEO Dan Towriss later revealed that Lowdon was only informed on the morning of the announcement. Bottas admitted the scale of the reshuffle caught him off guard, especially given his personal relationship with Lowdon, but he understood the team needed to address its issues.
"I think something needed to change," said Bottas. "We've had some issues that have been dragging along. But I didn't quite expect such a big, big change. I was maybe expecting more stuff happening in the factory. As drivers, we don't always see what needs to be changed in the big picture, because we're focused on driving and performance."
Cadillac remains without a point heading into the Dutch Grand Prix. Reliability and technical problems have complicated their first season. Bottas suggested the ongoing brake issues might have played a part, and pointed to the American ownership's more reactive style.
"Probably. And I think the American way can be a bit more reactive and sudden than the European way of leading the team," Bottas added. "I don't think they are afraid of changing people suddenly if they see that could be a good thing for the future."
Despite the change, Bottas paid tribute to Lowdon. "Obviously, it's a real shame that it's Graeme who had to go out, because first of all, he's a friend of mine," he said. "But I also think he's done a great job setting up the team, getting ready to be on the grid for the first race. I take my hat off for that."
Perez was equally complimentary of Lowdon's contribution but saw Budkowski's arrival as an opportunity to accelerate development. He believes the mid-season change shows how aggressively the team intends to progress. "I think Graeme has done a tremendous part in bringing Cadillac to where it is now, together with GM and Dan," Perez said. "He's part of the history of the team. Now with Marcin, it's exciting. When you have a new leader, you get a new perspective, and we have to make the most of it."
With a solid driver lineup and a new direction at the helm, Cadillac hopes to bounce back soon. But the question remains: will this change be enough to lift them off the bottom of the standings? Only time will tell.
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