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New Cadillac CEO Reveals Plans for Ferrari Partnership Talks
Highlights
- Marcin Budkowski appointed Cadillac team principal before Dutch Grand Prix
- Budkowski replaces Graeme Lowdon who helped form Cadillac’s F1 team
- Budkowski’s first F1 team management role, with strong engineering background
- Cadillac currently uses Ferrari power units, plans future own engine supply
- Dutch Grand Prix marks Budkowski’s debut and partner engagement opportunity
- Team aims to become full manufacturer amid 2026 regulation changes
Cadillac has appointed Marcin Budkowski as team principal ahead of the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort, replacing Graeme Lowdon. The move reshapes leadership as the 2026 season reaches its midpoint.
Lowdon built the operation and guided Cadillac onto the grid before his surprising departure. Budkowski steps in immediately, with debut duties this weekend.
Budkowski, 49, brings a deep engineering pedigree from Prost, Ferrari, McLaren, and Alpine. Since 2022 he worked in broadcasting, making this his first F1 team management role.
He visited Cadillac’s headquarters last week to accelerate onboarding. Establishing decision pathways, technical oversight, and partner alignment headline his short-term priorities.
Ferrari currently supplies Cadillac’s power units. Budkowski describes the package as competitive and the collaboration productive, echoing recent Ferrari and Audi commitment signals across the paddock.
Ferrari currently supplies Cadillac’s power units; Budkowski calls the package competitive.
Longer term, Cadillac intends to control its own engine destiny. The team has not fixed how long it will rely on Ferrari, with timelines tied to technical clarity and investment.
Budkowski plans meetings with Formula 1 leadership at Zandvoort to gauge regulatory direction. His prior F1 experience should inform governance, supplier relations, and resource planning.
Becoming a full manufacturer demands facilities, staffing, and calibration between chassis and power unit. Until then, the focus is extracting performance and reliability from the current Ferrari customer package.
Budkowski makes his debut as Cadillac team boss this weekend at Zandvoort.
The 2026 rules reset heightens packaging and efficiency stakes. Customer teams must synchronise development cycles with suppliers to avoid integration compromises and lost performance windows.
Operational discipline will be central. Budkowski’s Alpine stint offers a blueprint for process control, while Cadillac builds robustness around strategy, updates, and trackside execution.
Cadillac targets full manufacturer status once regulations and resources align.
This weekend also provides a platform to strengthen partner relationships, with Ferrari a priority. The aim is stability now, while plotting a credible path to factory status.
Cadillac frames the new boss appointment as direction, not upheaval. Success will be measured in consistent points and clear milestones as the project matures.
Visual Summary
Lowdon
👋
🤚
✋
Budkowski
👔
New Leadership
Budkowski
arrives from TV punditry (ex-Alpine, Ferrari, McLaren)
arrives from TV punditry (ex-Alpine, Ferrari, McLaren)
🔋
Ferrari Power
Cadillac still customer but wants its own engine soon
🥇
Fresh Hopes
First race as boss:
Dutch GP (Zandvoort)
Dutch GP (Zandvoort)
Stable Now
Factory Dream
Factory Dream
→
A New Era at Cadillac:
Can Budkowski steer the team into Formula 1’s elite?
Can Budkowski steer the team into Formula 1’s elite?
All eyes on Zandvoort as the handover begins and ambitions accelerate.
Zane Muniz writes across NASCAR, IndyCar, F1, IMSA, NHRA, and dirt-racing news. His breaking-news alerts and event previews ensure motorsport fans never miss a lap, drift, or drag-strip showdown.
