Key takeaways
- Immediate priority: Marcin Budkowski, Cadillac’s newly appointed team principal, stated that his main goal for his first race weekend in charge is to catch up on ongoing negotiations regarding future engine regulations.
- Long-term factory ambition: While Cadillac aims to build its own power units in the future, Budkowski emphasized that the team will wait for regulatory clarity before making that transition.
- Strong Ferrari partnership: Budkowski praised current engine supplier Ferrari, emphasizing that the power unit is competitive and that Cadillac is completely satisfied with the partnership.
Cadillac returned from the summer break with a new team principal. The surprise announcement was made just over a week ago, confirming the departure of Graeme Lowdon and the arrival of Marcin Budkowski to lead the team. Heading into his first event at the helm, he knows what he wants to achieve: get fully briefed on discussions regarding the next generation of engines, as he revealed Thursday (20) in Zandvoort.
Budkowski, whose prior Formula 1 experience includes stints at Prost, Ferrari, and McLaren before serving as Alpine’s technical director until 2023, is keeping Cadillac’s long-term project in mind as the American squad aims to eventually produce its own power units. His immediate goal is understanding when that future will materialize.
“I know what it’s like to work in a works team, which is what we will become in a few years when the time is right and the engine regulations are clearer. At the moment, that is contested,” he stated.
“But I hope to have a few conversations this weekend with the leadership of the sport to bring myself up to speed, as I haven’t been part of those discussions for a while. I need to understand the direction things are heading,” he said.
Despite those ambitions, there is no rush. He made a point of assuring that there is no dissatisfaction with Ferrari, whom Cadillac partnered with as a customer team for its 2026 entry onto the grid.
“We are happy with the relationship with Ferrari, and the engine is competitive. The relationship is going well. So for now, we are happy with Ferrari as a partner,” the new chief concluded.
Formula 1 returns this weekend, from August 21 to 23, for the Dutch Grand Prix — the 12th round of the 2026 season. GRANDE PRÊMIO covers all the track action live from Zandvoort with reporter Leonid Kliuev. Keep up with all the latest stories on our news page.
Session schedule: Dutch Grand Prix 2026
| Session | Local time (CEST) | UTC |
| Free Practice 1 | Friday, August 21 – 12:30 | 10:30 |
| Free Practice 2 | Friday, August 21 – 16:00 | 14:00 |
| Free Practice 3 | Saturday, August 22 – 11:30 | 09:30 |
| Qualifying | Saturday, August 22 – 15:00 | 13:00 |
| Race | Sunday, August 23 – 15:00 | 13:00 |
Frequently asked questions (FAQ)
1. Who replaced Graeme Lowdon as Cadillac’s team principal?
Marcin Budkowski was appointed as Cadillac’s new team principal, taking over the position following Graeme Lowdon’s departure ahead of the Dutch Grand Prix.
2. What engine does Cadillac use in its inaugural 2026 Formula 1 season?
Cadillac enters Formula 1 in 2026 as a customer team supplied by Ferrari power units, a partnership Budkowski praised as both competitive and highly satisfactory.
3. Will Cadillac manufacture its own Formula 1 engines in the future?
Yes, Cadillac intends to become a full works team and manufacture its own power units in the long term once future engine regulations are finalized and cleared.
