“It is not a playground”: Cadillac boss makes a bold ‘merit’ claim amid organization’s high-stakes F1 situation

Cadillac F1's team principal Graeme Lowdon aims to sign their drivers based on 'merit,' as he feels that Formula 1 is "not a playground." The team will join the grid in the 2026 season after an official confirmation, earlier this month.

However, the team has yet to decide on its driver lineup. There are plenty of options in the junior and other motorsports series. Considering all the options, Lowdon, who will be the team principal, would focus on signing competitive drivers based on merit.

"We will definitely select on merit," Lowdon said, via Crash.net. "F1 is not a playground. This is the pinnacle of world motorsport so, for sure, we need to select drivers on merit."

While it is a little early to be deciding on the drivers, as he mentioned, Lowdon is optimistic about finding strong drivers who can deliver consistent performances.

"Luckily for us there are a lot of good drivers out there. Unfortunately, we’ve not been able to be in the driver market until the entry is confirmed, so it’s a little bit too early to go too much into any detail, because it’s only now that we’re able to have meaningful conversations. But for sure we want to have drivers that can contribute to the overall programme."

The team is expected to sign an American driver for them. The last time F1 experienced someone from the nationality was Logan Sargeant, driving for Williams Racing. However, his inconsistent performances had the team release him mid-season last year.

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Cadillac could consider Colton Herta for a seat in F1

Colton Herta was previously reported to join the grid but could not qualify as he did not have the FIA Super License. While he still isn't qualified to participate in Formula 1, he could clear up the criteria for the Super License and possibly join the grid next year with Cadillac.

Lowdon stated that many drivers could potentially be candidates for their team.

"There are easily half a dozen, if not more, candidates out there who offer extremely good credentials to be in Formula 1 or to be in Formula 1 again," he said, via ESPN.

Discussing Colton Herta's future with Cadillac, Lowdon added that while he is an 'incredible' driver, he is yet to gain the Super License. But he is still a candidate for the team alongside other choices.

"He's an incredibly talented driver. So, for sure, it's not shock news that we would be looking to consider Colton alongside a whole bunch of other drivers as well," he added.

Cadillac is supported by TWG Motorsports and General Motors (GM) as they mark their entry into the sport in the 2026 season with new F1 regulations. This would provide the team more time to catch up with its competitors, considering the entire grid would be starting from a blank canvas with the regulations. However, experience will come to hand.