Graeme Lowdon was sacked as Cadillac team principal on the morning his departure was announced, chief executive Dan Towriss has admitted. Lowdon was recruited as the new Formula 1 team's first leader, but has now departed after just half-a-season on the grid and 11 race weekends, having overseen the creation of the workforce and facilities.
Departure described as 'planned' but was not
In the press release announcing that he had been replaced by Marcin Budkowski, Cadillac said the change of team principal was "planned". However, speaking to reporters including Express Sport on a video call after the announcement, Towriss admitted the transition had taken place earlier than expected.
He said: "It was my decision. It wasn't a mutual decision. The process started a few months ago, to explore really thinking about what the next phase for Cadillac Formula 1 looks like. What's the right timing? How would that look? And the capabilities of the various folks out there."
Lowdon informed just hours before announcement
Towriss went on to explain that he had waited until the last few hours to inform Lowdon that he had been replaced, as he felt that was the best way to avoid creating a media frenzy. He added: "Obviously, we were delighted in the conversation with Marcin, and how that relationship evolved.
"Graeme and I spoke this morning. It is a very recent conversation from that perspective, but there's no easy way to make this transition within Formula 1. Can you imagine the press if Marcin is strolling through for a tour of the factory or we're having these conversations?
"It becomes destabilising at that point, and so it's important to respect the purview of the leadership that's in place at that time. So it does compress the decision-making; the timeline, how these things come together, makes it feel more abrupt than it would be otherwise. But it's the nature of Formula 1 and it's the way it had to happen."
Decision based on future vision, not performance
"Graeme and I always talked about that there would be a transition at some point. This decision was mine, and I think there's a very narrow window of opportunity. When you look at what we're building, an opportunity to build something new and innovative, what I didn't want to do was build something that's already been done, something that's old, and then try to improve it. The time for that change came sooner than was expected.
"But really, I wouldn't say that it's the performance or the teething issues over the last few weeks. It's really about just having a clear vision on what we're building in the future, the rate of progress, and making sure that that matches the ambitions of ownership."
Second staff member leaves abruptly
Lowdon is not the only departure as the team's head of communications, Lucy Genon, has also left the Cadillac outfit. A long-term replacement is currently being sought with former Aston Martin chief Adrian Atkinson, now head of communications for the wider General Motors motorsport arm, filling in at Cadillac on an interim basis.
