An F-1 paddock classic returns as Cadillac’s new team principal
Cadillac announced this Wednesday that Marcin Budkowski, former Alpine boss, will become the new director of the American team with immediate effect, replacing Graeme Lowdon, who has been the team director since his arrival in the championship in 2026.
Budkowski, 49, began his motorsport career in 2001 as an aerodynamicist for Prost Grand Prix and subsequently moved to Maranello, working for Ferrari between 2002 and 2007 in the aerodynamics department. Rising to senior aerodynamicist, Budkowski joined McLaren in 2007, where he began climbing the ranks in the development department. He became head of aerodynamics, a position he left in the middle of the 2014 season to join the FIA.
Within motorsport’s governing body, Budkowski held various roles, including project manager, technical coordinator and director of the F1 technical department. Towards the end of the 2017 season, his joining the Renault team as executive technical director was announced and he transitioned to the Alpine F1 Team. In January 2021 he was appointed team manager, but was removed from the position a year later. Since then, he was working as a television commentator in his native Poland.
Budkowski will now return to the paddock in his new role, marking a leadership change for Cadillac as the team prepares for the second half of its debut Formula 1 season.
“Marcin’s appointment marks another important step in the continued evolution of the Cadillac Formula 1 team,” said Dan Towriss, CEO of the Cadillac team. “From the beginning, our goal has not been simply to participate in Formula 1, but to build a new generation team capable of competing at the highest level,” Cadillac says in its statement.
“As we usher in this new era for the Cadillac Formula 1 Team, Marcin brings exceptional F1 experience, technical knowledge and strategic leadership that will strengthen our organization and help us develop the winning mindset, tools and processes necessary for long-term success.
“We thank Graeme Lowdon for his leadership and the role he played in building the Cadillac Formula 1 team from the ground up. His contributions helped establish a solid foundation in our development phase, and we thank him for his commitment and wish him the best.”
Budkowski ha commented that: “The Cadillac Formula 1 team has an extraordinary foundation and ambition. This is a phase of great opportunity for the team, which will be defined by a clear objective: to maximize the development of the car within the cost limit and launch all the functions of the team to compete.”
“That means building an elite organization with a winning mentality: ambitious, relentless in the face of setbacks, obsessed with details and processes, and able to execute with precision on race day.
“My goal will be to align our people, tools and information flow so that the right decisions are made quickly and car performance improves with each race. It is a privilege to lead the Cadillac Formula 1 team’s on-track activities, starting in Zandvoort next weekend.”
According to Cadillac, this appointment is part of a “planned leadership transition” as the organization “evolves from its initial development phase to the next stage of competitive performance.”
