General Motors announces team principal for its Cadillac F1 team

Having recently confirmed its intention to enter Formula 1 in 2026, General Motors have appointed ex-Marussia chief executive Graeme Lowdon as principal for its future Cadillac F1 team.

General Motors and TWG Global confirmed last week that they have reached an agreement in principle with Formula 1 to bring a Cadillac team to the series in 2026.

In addition, the US car giant is also launching an F1 power unit that will put the Cadillac Formula 1 Team on the path to being a “full works” team — building its own F1 vehicles and power units — by the end of the decade.

The announcement means that Cadillac will be the first new team to join F1 since 2016 and the eleventh team on the grid.

General Motors have now confirmed that Graeme Lowdon will join the fray as team principal for the new Cadillac F1 team. The Briton is also involved in management for China's first and only F1 driver Zhou Guanyu.

Commenting on the announcement, Lowdon added: "This is a team with a real love for, and desire to go racing, and we have the experience and expertise to do just that.

"I don't underestimate the task ahead and I have the utmost respect for the competition. I look forward to the challenge of racing. In the meantime, our work continues at pace."

TWG Global owns and operates Andretti Global and has established a base at Silverstone in England with a number of personnel recruited from other Formula 1 teams.

Reflecting on the news, CEO of TWG Global's motorsport business Dan Towriss commendted: ."His experience on both the technical and managerial sides of Formula 1 and other motorsports ventures will serve him well as he builds the Cadillac Formula 1 team.

Lowdon gained both a bachelor's and master's degree in mechanical engineering at Sheffield University, as well as an MBA from Newcastle University. Initially he worked in the power industry in the north of England and Singapore, before joining ABB Group working as part of the international sales force for their power station division.

In 1996 Lowdon returned to the UK and created Industry On-line, providing online trading platforms for industry. He also co-founded Eiger Racing, a Formula Renault racing team. Having secured investment from 3i, he developed Industry On-line into Just2Clicks, which was floated on the Alternative Investment Market in 2000. At the end of 2000 Lowdon joined Manor Motorsport in a non-executive commercial role.

In 2002 he co-founded Nomad Digital, now the world's leading provider of data communications to the transportation sector, specialising in providing WiFi on trains.

He helped Manor Motorsport to develop into a Formula One team. Lowdon had strong links with Richard Branson's Virgin Group, Virgin Rail Group being one of Nomad's customers. He used these links to create the Virgin Racing team.

At the end of the 2015 F1 season, the team announced the resignation of both Lowdon and team boss John Booth from the team at the end of 2015, citing differences with team owner Stephen Fitzpatrick. He later returned to Manor Motorsport, overseeing its FIA World Endurance Championship programme.