Why have Cadillac decided to replace Lowdon with Budkowski?

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F1 newcomers Cadillac have changed things up at the top by drafting in experienced engineer and former Alpine chief Marcin Budkowski to replace Graeme Lowdon as Team Principal with immediate effect. The American squad made their debut in Australia earlier this season, a little over a year after the team were granted approval to join the sport – with Lowdon appointed Team Principal at the end of 2024. Under his leadership, in tandem with CEO of TWG Motorsports Dan Towriss, Lowdon spearheaded the mission to get a new team off the ground from a blank sheet of paper from recruiting staff to building out the infrastructure and the car. It culminated in the team having a strong foundation with two cars – piloted by Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas – on the start line in Australia and earning the respect of their rivals with their early performance. However, as they entered the summer break, the American team had yet to score their maiden point in Formula 1 and, while they were making progress, their reliability was disappointing. They suffered a chronic problem with overheating brakes, which they have failed to cure despite bringing fixes to events, and that stunted their progress. While Cadillac knew Formula 1 would be tough and that it would take time to become a contender, this is a very ambitious project that is well-funded and the slow progress plus having a recurring issue was frustrating. In the background, sources say the team have been considering their senior leadership operation for some time, with current and former senior paddock personnel canvassed about joining the team. Following weeks of discussions, Towriss and the General Motors leadership team decided that change was needed and opted to part ways with Lowdon and replace him with Budkowski. Budkowski comes with immense Formula 1 experience. He's an engineer by trade and has experience working with world championship-winning teams Ferrari, McLaren and Renault (under the Alpine brand). He's led engineering departments, worked with governing body the FIA within their sporting and technical divisions, and led teams of more than 700 people through his senior leadership role at Alpine. Helpfully, Budkowski was available immediately – rather than having a long gardening leave period – as he was focusing on a few different projects including working as a broadcaster for Polish TV. So, in many respects, he was the ideal solution for what Cadillac described as their next phase, moving from the "initial build phase into the next stage of racing performance". Budkowski started work on Wednesday and will be in the factory at Silverstone on Monday as he begins his assimilation into the project. It'll then be onwards to Zandvoort where the season resumes, with 12 Grands Prix still to go. The Pole will likely take the next few months to assess the operation before determining what changes and strengthening needs to be done going forward – though it is believed more staff are already set to join the team in the future. There will be a short-term challenge, though, and that's utilising his aerodynamic and leadership experience to get on top of their recurring reliability issues before adding performance to shut the gap to the midfield pack. That's not the work of a moment, of course, but getting in early and having the second-half of the season to get processes in place and trial new approaches is a great opportunity. Download the Official F1 AppYour ultimate companion into
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