Ahead of the 2026 F1 Miami Grand Prix (GP), Graeme Lowdon has detailed the extensive upgrade package Cadillac are bringing to their home weekend, while also reflecting on the rapid progress the new Formula 1 operation has made in just its fourth Grand Prix appearance.
Cadillac’s upgrades
Speaking ahead of the 2026 F1 Miami GP Sprint weekend, Lowdon explained that the team’s latest developments are spread across multiple areas of the car, with the floor forming the key focus of the package.
“We’ve got a fairly substantial upgrade package,” Lowdon said. “It’s spread over different parts of the car, so probably the main area is the floor, but there’s also changes on front and rear brake drones, front wing as well. Lots of bits spread all over the car, and it’s a mixture of aero and a bit of weight saving as well.”
Despite optimism surrounding the update, Lowdon admitted that the true impact will only become clear once Cadillac can compare themselves against the rest of the field. With Formula 1 having a substantinal 1 month break since Japan, many teams have made upgrades which will be highlighted at the 2026 F1 Miami GP.
“It’s reasonably sizeable, but of course the problem is we don’t know what everyone else is doing, so the only thing that makes any difference is that relative delta. But we’re reasonably hopeful.”
Miami’s additional challenge
The timing of the upgrade also presents an added challenge, with Miami hosting a Sprint weekend format that significantly reduces practice running. However, Lowdon believes the extended FP1 session should still allow the team enough time to evaluate the new parts.
“It’s never ideal when you have a fairly substantial upgrade package and it’s a sprint weekend, because you don’t really have an awful lot of time to analyse it,” he said. “But there should be enough, and with a slightly longer FP1 session, there should be. So yeah, we’re reasonably hopeful, but we’ll be able to tell you better tomorrow.
Still in their early days
Lowdon also confirmed the team has arrived in Miami with sufficient spare parts despite the scale of the package, although he acknowledged some areas remain tight due to the sheer number of new components involved.
“I mean, it’s tight in some areas, there’s lots of bits to this upgrade,” he said. “It’s not like a single thing where you’ve made five of them and it’s pointed at this.“
The Cadillac Team Principal then reflected on how early the team still is in its Formula 1 journey, noting that Miami marks only the squad’s fourth Grand Prix weekend compared to the decades of experience held by established teams on the grid.
“There’s quite a lot of changes on various areas, which kind of reflects the fact that this is our fourth ever Grand Prix. It struck me the other day that Ferrari have done 1,100 and whatever, and even Haas I think have done 200 and something as being a newer team on the grid, so this is Grand Prix number four.”
“So to bring a fairly substantial upgrade package I think is really encouraging, because what you see at the track is the result of everything that’s happening back in our multiple locations elsewhere.”
Cadillac’s behind-the-scene work
Lowdon went on to highlight the extensive behind-the-scenes work required to build a competitive Formula 1 operation from the ground up, explaining that Cadillac are still in the process of establishing systems that rival teams have refined over many years.
“It’s not just about getting a race team operating, it’s about getting the manufacturing working, all the processes and procedures, everything from procurement through to in-house manufacturing,” he explained.
“All of these systems are all completely brand new, so we’ll be watching the performance of the upgrade with great interest, because there’s an awful lot that we need to verify that other teams will already be well down the route of doing. So yeah, we’ll see. We’ll find out tomorrow.”
Cadillac will get their first opportunity to properly assess the package during Friday’s 90-minute Practice session in Miami, with the team hopeful the developments can provide another step forward as they continue building experience in Formula 1.
