In short
Dan Towriss (Cadillac F1 CEO) explains how Cadillac’s works Formula One team was created from an idea to the 2026 grid, what GM’s role enables, how the U.S. infrastructure plan differs from past American entries, and what success will mean in year one (safe/reliable car, then development speed). He also discusses driver choices (Sergio Perez, Valtteri Bottas, and Colton Herta’s F2 path), plus marketing moves to convert U.S. F1 fans.
Guests
Dan Towriss (Cadillac F1 CEO). Other people mentioned: Tom Clarkson (host); Sergio “Checo” Perez (experienced F1 driver); Valtteri Bottas (experienced F1 driver); Colton Herta (IndyCar star, Cadillac F1 test/reserve, placed in F2); Mark Royce (GM executive); Michael Andretti; Graham (team principal); Tyler Epp (Miami GP boss); Mario Andretti.
Key claims
Cadillac is building “from start” (HR, factory, logistics) like a startup; GM involvement is equity and makes it a works team; the team will judge itself by rate of development; Checo’s “job interview” impressed the board; Colton was placed in F2 to earn a super license path and learn European open-wheel racing properly.
Notable examples
the “sliding doors” Sauber purchase attempt; meeting GM’s Jim Campbell at an IndyCar/Penske event elevator; Mark Royce’s Corvette Z06 sound-visit; Checo throwing out a Dodgers first pitch and beating Dodgers players on a racing sim; Super Bowl ad and Times Square activation; Colton’s rapid simulator speed at a Hennvile shop and stellar McLaren test report; Mario Andretti’s 1978 aura and the car name “MAC 26.”
Written by AI. May contain mistakes. Listen to the episode to check what was said.
Chapters
Tap a time to open that second in VOCadillac F1's Ambitious Entry
1:24 to 2:11
Cadillac discusses their commitment to Formula One and the development of their car.
“This is a job for Indeed Sponsored Jobs.”
The Challenges of Starting an F1 Team
3:16 to 5:10
Dan explains the complexities involved in launching a new Formula One team.
“Dan had previously said Sergio nailed his job interview with the team.”
The Journey to Securing a F1 Team
5:10 to 7:21
Dan shares the backstory of his journey toward owning an F1 team, including setbacks.
“Now, Checo Perez has said that this is a highlight of his Formula One career.”
Becoming a Racing Fan and Investor
7:21 to 9:10
Dan discusses his evolution from a casual fan to a serious player in motorsports.
“Just make sure that car's on my golf course in August because it was related to something else we were doing.”
The Decision to Start a New F1 Team
9:10 to 10:40
Explore how Dan decided to create a new F1 team after missed opportunities.
“You know, we talked to, you know, maybe Williams would take a partner and things like that.”
Pitching to General Motors
10:40 to 14:03
Dan recounts how he pitched the idea of a Cadillac F1 team to GM leadership.
“recruit the people and you've got all the resources.”
The Origins of Cadillac's F1 Vision
14:03 to 16:15
Learn about the initial journey and motivations behind Cadillac's entry into Formula One.
“thunderous, you know, start and fill in the room with that amazing sound.”
Building a Unique American F1 Team
17:45 to 21:25
Explore how Cadillac aims to establish a distinct American identity in Formula One.
“Discover a line-up that delivers pure adrenaline in the form of modern luxury.”
Engaging American F1 Fans
21:25 to 24:15
Learn strategies Cadillac employs to connect with and grow the fan base in the U.S.
“Would you like to see more races in North America?”
Cadillac's Driver Selection and Team Dynamics
24:15 to 28:01
Understand the importance of driver experience and team structure in Cadillac's F1 approach.
“How important was it for you to get Tyler Epp, who was the Miami GP boss, on board as your commercial boss?”
Show all 23 chapters
Transitioning to a New Facility
28:01 to 28:26
Learn about Cadillac's move into a larger facility and its implications.
“And so, I mean, there could be, you know, I guess, you know, certainly job opportunities where people move.”
The Importance of Experience in Drivers
28:27 to 29:31
Discover why experience is crucial for drivers in a new Formula One team.
“but you've spoken before about how he nailed the job interview.”
Adapting to First-Year Challenges
29:32 to 30:46
Understand how experienced drivers are helping a new team navigate complexities.
“I think he made that really come alive and to see it in vivid detail of just how important that experience was.”
Patient Driver Selection Process
30:47 to 31:48
Explore the careful selection process for drivers and its importance.
“And it was important to have two experienced drivers because, you know, some people were saying, I get the need for one experienced driver.”
Colton Herta's Path to Formula One
34:52 to 37:25
Examine Colton Herta's journey and strategy for entering Formula One.
“Sponsored jobs posted directly on Indeed are 95 % more likely to report a hire than non-sponsored jobs.”
Evaluating Success in Formula Two
37:26 to 38:36
Understand what success looks like for Colton Herta this season.
“he needs to learn and to build a body of work that shows he belongs in Formula One, whether it's through FP1s or what he does, you know, on an F2 track.”
Colton's Testing and Development
38:37 to 40:49
Learn about Colton Herta's testing experiences and potential in F1.
“Yeah, I mean, we'll have ways to evaluate.”
Preparing for Formula One
40:50 to 42:00
Explore Colton's preparation and mindset for entering Formula One.
“He's really shown high potential, high aptitude for Formula One.”
Mario Andretti's Legacy in Racing
42:00 to 43:30
Explore the significance of Mario Andretti's legacy in racing and its impact on the Cadillac F1 Team.
“By the way, got his first speeding ticket this last weekend at the age of, he turned 86 this last weekend.”
Building a Competitive Team in F1
43:30 to 46:18
Learn about the challenges and philosophies behind assembling a competitive Formula One team.
“But it was just there was always this like aura around Mario and the racing ethos there.”
Goals and Development for the First Season
46:18 to 47:43
Understand the ambitions and strategies for development of the Cadillac F1 Team in their inaugural year.
“So if I were to talk to you about ambitions for year one, I mean, I've heard other people talking about we just want to progress, but is that your attitude to 2026?”
Balancing Multiple Racing Series
47:43 to 50:00
Discuss the challenges and time management involved in overseeing multiple racing series.
“Just how much of your time is going to be spent on Formula One?”
Personal Journey and Passion for Racing
50:00 to 50:12
Discover Dan Towriss's personal journey from baseball to motorsport and his passion for competition.
“And if you do it with drive and passion, it doesn't matter whether it's business, motorsport, whatever it is, you have a chance.”
Transcript
Automatic transcript. May contain errors.0:00Dan Towriss:This episode is sponsored by Indeed. There's a lot that goes on behind the scenes of this show, booking guests across time zones, tight turnaround edits and constant time management. And when things get chaotic, you realise pretty quickly how important it is to have the right person on your team. If I had to hire someone tomorrow, I wouldn't just want a good editor. I'd want someone who understands pace in long-form interviews and can work fast under pressure. And in moments like that, you think, this is a job for sponsored jobs. Because Indeed Sponsored Jobs boosts your listing in search results, helping you reach the candidates with the specific skills and experience you actually need.
0:39Dan Towriss:And it works. Sponsored jobs posted directly on Indeed are 95 % more likely to report a hire than non-sponsored jobs. That's a serious edge when the pressure's on. Spend less time searching and more time actually interviewing candidates who check all your boxes. Less stress, less time, more results. When you need the right person to cut through the chaos, this is a job for Indeed Sponsored Jobs. And listeners of this show will get a$75 sponsored job credit to help get your job the premium status it deserves at indeed.com slash podcast. Just go to indeed.com slash podcast right now and support our show by saying you heard about Indeed on this podcast.
1:20Dan Towriss:Indeed.com slash podcast. Terms and conditions apply. Need to hire? This is a job for Indeed Sponsored Jobs.
1:54Dan Towriss:legendary roar of the Escalade V, all engineered to thrill. Find out more about Cadillac's performance story in Formula One and our race-tested V-Series lineup at cadillac.com. For the first time in a decade, Formula One has 11 teams on the grid, but Cadillac are not here to make up the numbers. We're committed to Formula One for the long term, and so now we're going to start developing this car? You know, it was built on a computer. You know, there was no track data to build this car. And now as the data is coming in, so it's going to be what's the rate of development from the Cadillac Formula One team that you see this year?
2:35That's really going to be how we judge ourselves week in and week out is how fast are we getting better?
2:41Dan Towriss:Welcome to F1 Beyond the Grid. I'm Tom Clarkson and this week's guest is Cadillac F1 CEO Dan Taurus. Dan tells me the fascinating story of how the Cadillac F1 team went from being an idea to the beginning of the beginning with their arrival on the Formula One grid in 2026. Dan also reveals some of the sliding doors moments that shaped this journey, including an opportunity to buy Sauber. With the vast experience of Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas in the cockpit, Cadillac are incapable hands behind the wheel. Dan had previously said Sergio nailed his job interview with the team. So what was so special about his performance in the boardroom?
3:25Dan Towriss:And what's the relationship between Checo and Valtteri really like? Waiting in the wings behind those two for a shot at F1 is Teston Reserve driver Colton Hurta. I asked Dan why they've put the former IndyCar star in Formula 2 this season, and what makes Cadillac different to American F1 teams of the past.
3:51Dan Towriss:Welcome to the show. Thank you for your time. Absolutely. Thanks for having me. Well, we're talking in Melbourne. How special is this moment for you to actually see the reality of Cadillac at a Grand Prix? It's incredibly special. I mean, we've been working on this for so long, so much so that like you don't even think about the day, the weekend that it's finally here. And yet here we are for our first race. Now we get to go racing. This is the beginning of the beginning. The beginning of the beginning. I like that line. And you've achieved a lot in your business career. Just tell us now how different starting a Formula One team is compared to everything else you've done.
4:32it's incredibly different. Formula One is, it's a very complicated business, but then to be a brand new team, you know, while we were, I mean, we're just building everything, you know, from start, like it's, you know, there's this cliche saying of building a ship while you're sailing it, but that's exactly what happened. Like you're trying to just set up the basic infrastructure of the company, HR policies, while you're hiring 50 people a month, while you're building a machine, while you're putting in, you know, building your factory. So it's a real estate project. It's a startup operation. It's a logistics operation.
5:05All these things are happening at the same time. So more challenging than anything you've done before. It really is.
5:11Dan Towriss:Yeah. Now, Checo Perez has said that this is a highlight of his Formula One career. And this is race one, just to get to this point. Is it the same for you? Yeah, absolutely. I mean, I think, you know, Formula One is the pinnacle of motorsport. And then to be able to be part of the history of Formula One, being a brand new team, being a works team from the United States. It's an incredible opportunity. And, you know, we worked this hard. We did all this just to have the opportunity to be really stressed out. Look, when did you first start thinking about having your own F1 team? I mean, it really goes back probably four, maybe even almost five years ago, Michael Andretti was looking to get in Formula One.
5:53And he's just like, hey, I've got this Formula One thing, you want to be an investor in the team. And like, yeah, we'll take a look. We'll get in for 10 or 20 % of the deal. And so we started to look at it. And that was really the first time my group, my partners and I would have looked at Formula One. But as that process went on, a lot of the other investors in that deal weren't real. And so I had this conversation with Michael. I was like, hey, that investor syndicate, yeah, they're not real. That's the bad news. The good news is we'll take the whole thing. And I said on one condition, and he was like, well, what's that?
6:28I said, anybody that I don't know, I'm kicking them out of the deal. Like, you know, this isn't a time to make friends. You know, we've got to get this thing closed. And so that kind of started our pursuit of what was the Sauber transaction, you know, going back when we were talking about possibly buying that team.
6:44Dan Towriss:And then how did the Sauber deal not happening shape where you are today? Yeah. So I think as we got into, you know, looking at that to really understand the business And so Formula One, you know, that's where kind of the bug bit us, if you will, to really want to be, you know, in the sport to, you know, kind of taste the opportunity of what is Formula One, to see what was happening in the sport. You know, kind of while we're going through this process of looking to buy this team, sports changing overnight, you know, it's just massive growth, you know, and then to see the opportunity in the United States as a growth market and all the things there, it was like, oh, this will be perfect.
7:21Except the deal didn't happen.
7:22Dan Towriss:so the initial attraction was as an investment but what about dan the racer are you a racing fan have you always been when did you first come into contact with formula honestly um the motorsport piece is relatively new for me you know we started as a sponsor in you know with the andretti's that's how the relationship with michael first started is i i had sponsored a race car driver for the indy 500 a one race deal and it was actually with aj foy it wasn't with the andretti's And I remember telling Larry Foyt, I don't really know much about that motorsport thing. Just make sure that car's on my golf course in August because it was related to something else we were doing.
8:00You know, and then a few days after that Indy 500, Michael cold calls me. You imagine your assistant comes in. I've got nothing to do with motorsports at this point. They're like, you know, Michael Andretti, line one. And it's like, hello, you know, congratulations winning three of the last four Indy 500s. What do you want with me? He's like, I want that kid back on my team. And so that really kind of kicked off that relationship where we started a sponsorship deal and really things. As I got to see motorsports, I was just fascinated by all these people working together in this frenetic environment to shave off a hundredth of a second, a tenth of a second, a hundredth of a second.
8:37And it's just like, man, if you could just bottle this stuff up, the energy around racing, the competitiveness, just the coordination. It really is, as Graham, our team principal for Cadillac, likes to say, it's the ultimate team sport. and it's just I absolutely love it are you a car nut or have you become a car nut yeah absolutely
8:55Dan Towriss:what you've just described with Michael yep yeah how can you not be yeah so the Sauber deal doesn't happen how soon after that did you commit to the project that has now come to light yeah it was pretty soon after that it's like hey let's I guess the next step was are there any other teams for sale so there were conversations with you know and I think it was a lot of that was reported on you know, hey, Gene, you want to sell the team? You know, we talked to, you know, maybe Williams would take a partner and things like that. And there just really wasn't anything, there weren't any opportunities.
9:28And, and looking back, I mean, that wouldn't have been the right thing for us anyway, in terms of what we were trying to do. So you go through that process.
9:37Dan Towriss:And then it's too easy just to buy into a team compared to what you've ended up doing. Oh, yeah, that sounds so easy now. I said the other day, I'm like, if I'd have known what it was going to take, you know, how complicated it was to get, you know, get this team off the ground. There was a lot of resistance, obviously, as we went through this. And it's like, I get it. I see what you guys are talking about. But anyway, yeah, so we, so it wasn't a team for sale. And it's like, let's, let's start a brand new team. There was never a point in time where, you know, it just felt like it was, it needed to happen.
10:08And so we just pursued it. And never, never once did we really think this wasn't going to happen, or we should quit, or, well, we tried. it was just every time we hit an obstacle we just got better over time and you were committing money a lot of money to the project yeah because i think again it's a very complicated sport and so it's like well to add value to the sport you have to bring a credible car to the track and so that's not a simple presentation you can't just do a powerpoint show somebody and say here's all the boxes here's how they connect and have somebody believe that you can build a team that you can recruit the people and you've got all the resources.
10:45So we're like, well, let's just start building the team. We're going to build a team with no entry. Are you in? It's a great pitch.
10:54Dan Towriss:It's an extraordinary story. Was there a plan B if you didn't get the entry? Were you going to use all the different premises to go and race something else? Or was it, did you always believe that it was going to happen in the end? Yeah, it just had to happen. I think with the level of commitment that we had to it i get plan b was maybe an amazon warehouse you know out of uh out of this massive facility that we're building in the u.s and how integral then was gm into making this happen you talk about added value was it only when you'd got mark royce on board that you went back to f1 and said well how about this yeah i mean again i think as we ran into these different obstacles and it was you you've got to add value to the sport it's just kind of ambiguous topic What does that mean?
11:41How do you quantify that? I really started to see an OEM. That's the way that you do that. And so we have this meeting with General Motors. But even that was, there was kind of like this serendipitous meeting. I'm at an IndyCar race. And I was actually at a Roger Penske, a Team Penske event. It's on the roof of this hotel in Nashville. So the drivers talk, we do the normal thing. And so we would typically go. And after the drivers finished their piece, we left a little bit early because we had some other events to go to. So we're leaving early. So we're coming down the elevator. And Jim Campbell from General Motors is late.
12:17So he's coming in. Well, because the event was already happening, there was nobody at the elevator, at the bottom of the elevators where we met. So we had this opportunity to talk. Had I met Jim upstairs around all the people, we wouldn't have had the opportunity to speak. Like if there were a lot of people in the lobby of the hotel, we wouldn't have had the opportunity to speak. But now it's just Jim and me standing there talking. I was like, hey, get this Formula One project that I want to talk to you guys about. And he was interested. And so he was leaving that next day to go see Mark Royce and the senior execs at GM.
12:54And based on that conversation, we set up a meeting to make a presentation in Detroit.
12:59Dan Towriss:You must be a brilliant salesman. So you buy the lift on the ground floor and you effectively sell the idea of a Cadillac Formula One team to a senior man at GM and didn't look back. And didn't look back. You know, I remember walking away, talking to my wife was there as well. And I just said, there's no way this doesn't happen. Like that was that to me was a sign that this was meant to be. I didn't know what we were going to have to go through, but it was a sign to me that it was meant to be. And so when you get in front of Mark Royce, did he need any persuasion or was he, tell me more, but I think we're in.
13:36Yeah, it was, you know, it was a really good meeting. I think coming out of the meeting, I felt very good that it was going to happen. And it was, you know, it was great. So we go to Detroit, we're in a conference room and we go through the presentation and we finish up. And Mark's like, good presentation. You want to go see my car? And I was like, oh, he's a racer. You get to see like the competitive juices were flowing. And so next thing I know, we're in a parking garage listening to a Corvette Z06 start, thunderous, you know, start and fill in the room with that amazing sound. And so, yeah, it was like that's how it started.
14:10And it almost sounds like a cliche motorsports story because it was.
14:14Dan Towriss:And he is a racing nut, isn't he? I mean, he races around the Nürburgring Nordschleife. And hasn't he got the record for the fastest speed in a car under a million bucks or something? as well. He, I guess, do you think Formula One had always been on his radar or were you the first person to present? I mean, I think it was just that it was the right place in the right time. I think with where Formula One had gone, the growing interest. And then I think for him was an opportunity to, you know, to partner with, in this case with us, with TWG. And, you know, the pitch to General Motors, I mean, it did evolve a little bit over time, but, you know, they're not coming in as a sponsor.
14:52They're not coming in as it's like, hey, we'll allocate some of our motorsport budget to Formula One, this was an equity investment. So they're part owner of the team. And so when you say like how integral was GM, well, I mean, being a works team, that suddenly changed the value equation, the Cadillac name, the General Motors name to Formula One changed the equation. But now you have the leadership marks on the board and what he's been able to add in that sense. There are people that have been seconded over from General Motors to the team, their engineering services agreements, their resources, facilities that are used as we've been building up this team from a standing start.
15:33And so, you know, how helpful, you know, is General Motors role been in this? Extremely helpful. We couldn't, we wouldn't be here today without them.
15:42Dan Towriss:And the power unit, was that part of the initial conversation or did that come later? It came later, but I think it was always in Mark's head that he wanted to do that because anything that General Motors wants to do, they want it to be authentic. You know, they weren't interested in badging an engine. And as soon as I say that, someone's going to be like, we're using a Ferrari engine now. And it's like, yeah, while we're building the Cadillac engine, like it's to understand that it's a three or four year process to build a power unit in Formula One, you know, this was the only way that it could happen.
16:14Dan Towriss:This episode is sponsored by Indeed. There's a lot that goes on behind the scenes of this show, booking guests across time zones, tight turnaround edits, and constant time management. And when things get chaotic, you realise pretty quickly how important it is to have the right person on your team. If I had to hire someone tomorrow, I wouldn't just want a good editor. I'd want someone who understands pace in long-form interviews and can work fast under pressure. And in moments like that, you think, this is a job for sponsored jobs. Because Indeed Indeed Sponsored Jobs boosts your listing in search results, helping you reach the candidates with the specific skills and experience you actually need.
16:54Dan Towriss:And it works. Sponsored jobs posted directly on Indeed are 95 % more likely to report a hire than non-sponsored jobs. That's a serious edge when the pressure's on. Spend less time searching and more time actually interviewing candidates who check all your boxes. Less stress, less time, more results. When you need the right person to cut through the chaos, this is a job for Indeed Sponsored Jobs. And listeners of this show will get a$75 sponsored job credit to help get your job the premium status it deserves at Indeed.com slash podcast. Just go to Indeed.com slash podcast right now and support our show by saying you heard about Indeed on this podcast.
17:35Dan Towriss:Indeed.com slash podcast. Terms and conditions apply. Need to hire? This is a job for Indeed Sponsored Jobs. Cadillac has entered Formula One, deepening the racing pedigree behind every V-series on the road. Discover a line-up that delivers pure adrenaline in the form of modern luxury. Experience the quickest Cadillac ever, the all-electric Lyric V, the peak performance of the CT5V Blackwing, the nimble agility of the Optic V, and the legendary roar of the Escalade V, all engineered to thrill. Find out more about Cadillac's performance story in Formula One and our race-tested V-Series line-up at cadillac.com.
18:34Dan Towriss:you've said a few times that the white on the livery reflects the american-ness of this team we've had american teams in formula one before what makes the cadillac formula one team different to everything that we've seen? Yeah, so I think a few things, obviously there are American owners or have been in Formula One, are now, we're gonna be an American works team, but we're gonna have over 600 ,000 square feet of infrastructure of manufacturing facilities in the United States. And that's never been done before. Is the goal to base the team in the States? So the team will be operating out of three locations.
19:14It'll continue to have operations in Silverstone. there are the operations in Indianapolis and then the power units will be built in Charlotte. And so, you know, we always like to joke when we started this, we didn't really intend to build an F1 team that had operations in the birthplace of Formula One, the birthplace of IndyCar and the birthplace of NASCAR. So we're like, okay, well, that's kind of pretty cool motorsport DNA. But yeah, so we're, you know, so manufacturing design, you know, having the power units fire up, built in the United States, firing up in the United States, car build, the manufacturing doing the shakedown in the United States.
19:47And so this was really an opportunity to bring Formula One to the U.S. to create development opportunities. We know there's a wealth of talent in kind of the motorsport corridor in the U.K. And so how do we start to develop some of that talent in the U.S.? Partnerships with universities, physical plant in the U.S. to start to create those opportunities to draw interest and to bring Formula One into the everyday mindset in the US as we create new fans. So that's really the goal and some of the ways we want to be different.
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20:19Dan Towriss:So just to clarify, power unit in Charlotte, car in Indianapolis, and then what will be based at Silverstone five years hence? Yeah, so we'll still have some manufacturing capabilities, especially from a quick response standpoint, some elements of engineering design. Right now, we're using the wind tunnel in Cologne. You know, there'll be plans, you know, future plans likely to build a wind tunnel in the U.S. So that'll be additional infrastructure there. But again, you do need a base of operations essentially on, you know, continental Europe when you look at the race schedule of Formula One. So we're going to be able to do that.
20:56And it really gives us this global footprint so that it's really about getting the best talent. Like we don't come into this and saying, well, if you don't have a U.S. passport, you can't work at the team. Clearly, that's not the case. There are a lot of accents, as I like to say, that you'll hear on this team. And it's always going to be performance first of having the best and the brightest that we want to bring into the Cadillac Formula One team. But again, with this idea towards investing and building up a presence in the U.S. to compete in Formula One. You refer to the calendar.
21:26Dan Towriss:Would you like to see more races in North America? so that in a way, you know, in a way the advantage of being in Europe is negated because there'll be as many races on that side of the pond. Yeah, I don't think so. I mean, I think I want the races that are in the U.S. to stay very special. I mean, I think right now there are three tremendous races in the U.S., Miami, you know, Vegas and Austin. And they've they each have a different personality. And I think, you know, having those be special. And I think it's also it's a global sport. I mean, the fact we're here in Australia right now. and be in China, you know, next weekend.
22:01And it's just, I think that's part of what makes Formula One so amazing.
22:04Dan Towriss:Now, you mentioned the fans as well. I saw a stat recently. There are 54 million people in the U.S. who've said they are F1 fans but have never been to a race. How do you convert them into Cadillac fans? We start to represent those fans, you know, in a sense. Like that's from the marketing department to, you know, to really reach out to them and speak their language. We want to enter the mainstream consciousness of the sporting fans. So it's kind of like as we segment the fan base, we want to earn the respect of the diehard motorsport fans, the Formula One critics that are out there, and we want to earn their respect.
22:45But at the same time, we want to start to reach out to fans who are either drive-to-survive fans, they watch the movie, or they think it's cool, or they maybe have heard about it. how do we start to bring them in and make Formula One feel real, whether it's national pride of want to be part of America's newest team, or they just think it's cool, or they're into the fashion, the music, the spectacle of the event. Whatever it is, we want to make Formula One attractive to them and give them a team to root for.
23:12Dan Towriss:And was that the thinking behind the Super Bowl advert? Absolutely. You've got this sporting events, the culturally relevant Super Bowl that people go to just because it's the Super Bowl. Maybe they're not even an NFL fan, but they want to be seen at the Super Bowl. And it's got this massive television audience, over 120 million people. And so as we were thinking about it, we wanted to show our livery, our first ever Cadillac Formula One livery to 120 million people. People that aren't even thinking about Formula One, we want them to think about, hey, Cadillac's coming to the grid. Hey, Formula One's out there.
23:49there was even in the Apple placard at the end, the broadcast rights are going to be in Apple. So we're kind of aligned in a sense with Apple of trying to reach the 54 million fans that you reference and say, how do we get you more involved watching races, being interested in the sport? You know, what does it really take to draw those fans in?
24:08Dan Towriss:Well, have you had any feedback on that advert? Can you tell us what it did for the brand? Or is it too early to say that? I mean, certainly we saw, you know, calls the next day of like from a partnership sponsorship standpoint and so they certainly saw i think the the reaction there and then you know in addition to the super bowl commercial we had the event in times square and you know it was just amazing it's freezing cold late at night and there were all these fans out there and you know chanting checko and and different things but they were they were super excited about the team but just um certainly you know anecdotally there's been tons of feedback of just interest in the team they saw you know what's happening and so um you know just continuing to reach out to those fans and get them excited about what's happening in Formula One.
24:52Dan Towriss:How important was it for you to get Tyler Epp, who was the Miami GP boss, on board as your commercial boss? Was it important for you to have someone who'd had success in the American market? Yeah, because I think as, you know, we want to bring this kind of distinctly American perspective to Formula One, but we also don't want to come in and just be American or we don't want to just be different just to be different in Formula One. You've got to get all the blocking and tackling right. You have to know how this sport works. I think fans would tire very quickly of someone who came in and was like, we're different, we're great.
25:28And it's like, it doesn't work that way. You know? And so we want to kind of start with getting the blocking and tackling right, get the basics right, and then find ways to be different and uniquely Cadillac Formula One that add value to the sport, that add value to our team. And so that's really how we're looking to do. And so Tyler was an instrumental part in doing that. So as you think about, I'm the CEO of the Cadillac Formula One group. You've got Graham as team principal over the team. Russell Blinis is running the power unit company, building the GM performance power units. And then in today's Formula One world, the marketing and communications and commercial aspects, it's essentially a media company.
26:08It's so sophisticated, it requires, in my view, its own leadership. And so that's the leadership model that we're going with to really try to build this Formula One team of the future.
26:19Dan Towriss:I love your references to blocking and tackling, and it segues beautifully into my next question, which is what can the Formula One team learn from the TWG groups, other sporting franchises? You've got the Dodgers in LA, you've got the Lakers, you've even got Chelsea FC, right? Tell us about the cross-pollination between all of them. Well, I mean, certainly it's created a lot of opportunities. I think shortly after we signed Checo and Valtteri, Checo came out to throw out a first pitch, you know, at a Dodger game. And it was great to see the interactions between the fans. I mean, from a social media standpoint, you know, F1 picked it up, Major League Baseball picked it up, the Dodgers picked it up, and Cadillac Formula One, you know, picked it up.
26:59And so it was great. It was funny. So the Dodger players in the clubhouse have a racing sim. and so they had Baku pulled up and so they're all you know they spend a lot of time in the clubhouse and the Dodger players you know have their times on there and uh so they're like you know hey Checo hop on the sim and he blew them away destroyed him yeah did they have that simulate simulator before oh yeah yeah no they've had it for a long time yeah it's just like it's a there's a there are a lot of them that are very interested in it so there's a racing sim and there's a golden tee So it's golf and racing, you know, in the clubhouse there.
27:35Dan Towriss:While we're talking cross-pollination, you've got the enormous facility in Indianapolis. Can we see a day where, I don't know, the IndyCar team is under the same roof as the Formula One team? Or are we going to see engineers flowing from one team to the other? Have you got any plans for that kind of thing? No, I think just because of the way the cost cap works, it really is very separate. The IndyCar team is actually moving into a new facility as well. They're moving into a 240 ,000 square foot facility in Indianapolis in a separate location, you know, from that. And so, I mean, there could be, you know, I guess, you know, certainly job opportunities where people move.
28:13But you're either working in Formula One or you're not. And so the idea that there's people that are kind of have toes on both sides, you know, I don't see that happening anytime soon. Apart from you.
28:23Dan Towriss:Apart from me. Let's talk drivers now. You've referenced Checo Perez already on the simulator, but you've spoken before about how he nailed the job interview. What impressed you so much? I think he even saw it amongst a lot of the Formula One fans. You know, Cadillac should pick experienced drivers. And that makes a lot of sense. It's very logical. Checo made that come alive in the interview. If he said, what does experience mean? So to hear him talk about some of the things, you know, that he thinks he would experience as part of the team doing this for the first time and what he expected and what he would do and how he would handle the situation.
29:02He just made that come alive. And you really got to start to see we really do need, you know, someone experienced who can handle the ups and downs with being a first year team. Knows what the car should feel like and provide that direction from a development standpoint that can take, even if we have experienced people on the team, bring them together and make it function as a team. because all these things that we're doing, we're doing it for the first time. It was Cadillac Formula One. And so that experience is just going to be such a key. And so it was really, that was what I meant when I said that is just, I think he made that really come alive and to see it in vivid detail of just how important that experience was.
29:42And I will say it was set against the backdrop of the British Grand Prix, which may remember was raining and messy and experience you know the experience drivers kind of rose to the top of that as well so kind of in the backdrop of experience really being key
29:59Dan Towriss:and i guess his experience at racing point force india you know small teams punching above their weight was that an appeal as well you know not so much i think it's really just the the you know the expertise, the actual track record and the knowledge that he would bring to the team. And look, I would say the same for Valtteri as well, not to pair one experience against the other. I think in both drivers, you've got that. And it's a little bit different in terms of what they bring. But and they've delivered so far. I mean, I think through the testing in Barcelona, through the testing in Bahrain, they needed to be patient at times as we're working through kind of first year kinks in the team.
30:41And in some cases, it was just because these new cars are very complicated and there's a lot to work through there. And I think their ability to be patient and let it come to them, provide direction and pull things together has just been instrumental through those weeks. And it was important to have two experienced drivers because, you know, some people were saying, I get the need for one experienced driver.
31:01Dan Towriss:But what about building for the future with a young driver in the second seat? But you went for two experienced drivers. Yeah, I mean, we certainly looked at it. We talked to a lot of people. Graham, you know, took a long time. We were methodical and patient. I think before we started, everyone's like, oh, you should just sign Valtteri and Checo. You know, we obviously didn't do that. We took our time. Even as people were reporting, you know, oh, we know they're in contract talks. You know, it's funny. I would open up and see Newsweek reporting that we're on the verge of signing Checo. And it's like, we haven't started talking contracts yet.
31:36but we still went through and talked to a lot of people and went through the process and let that process determine the outcome.
31:44Dan Towriss:Were you concerned that neither was racing in 2025 or do you think they've got enough experience to just pick up where they left off? Yeah, I think they have enough experience to pick up where we left off. Obviously, a lot is changing this year and I think, again, being able to adapt to that, I think their experience is just going to be key. And Mexico, I guess, is a big market for GM as well. Yes. And Finland? Maybe not as much, but you'd have to ask Mark Royce that question. But yeah, certainly Mexico. And the response, obviously, that the teams received from Mexico in support of Checo has been amazing.
32:23I think that's going to be a really fun race this year.
32:26Dan Towriss:And they're both great guys. I mean, think of their careers, their long careers. They fought over the same bit of tarmac often, so they know each other well, and they're funny, aren't they, in terms of their social media imprint? Oh, their personalities are amazing. I've also been really happy how they relate to one another. I think the relationship that they've built, you know, has been positive. I think a lot of times you see drivers kind of pit against each other, and look, who knows what's going to happen throughout the season when we start racing. But I've been really pleased with how they relate to each other, the relationship that they've built.
32:59you know and again we're talking about Checo and Mexico but we're sitting here in Australia with now uh you know Valtteri's been adopted as as Australia's favorite son and so again personality and all the different ways whether it's you know an American flag on the surfboard that he posted right after signing with the team but I mean this guy's an absolute character and we're really proud
33:23Dan Towriss:to have him on the team this episode is sponsored by Indeed there's a lot that goes on behind the scenes of this show, booking guests across time zones, tight turnaround edits, and constant time management. And when things get chaotic, you realise pretty quickly how important it is to have the right person on your team. If I had to hire someone tomorrow, I wouldn't just want a good editor. I'd want someone who understands pace in long-form interviews and can work fast under pressure. And in moments like that, you think, this is a job for sponsored jobs. Because Indeed Indeed Sponsored Jobs boost your listing in search results, helping you reach the candidates with the specific skills and experience you actually need.
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36:36Dan Towriss:What about Colton Herta? Nine-time IndyCar winner. Huge talent. Talk to us about him. You've placed him in Formula 2 in 2026. Some people were surprised. Tell us about the thinking behind that. Yeah, so Colton kicks off his F2 season this weekend as well. So Colton didn't have the super license points. So even if he wanted to jump, you know, into the seat, that wasn't going to be a possibility. But I think it was important for Colton to come into the sport in the right way to, you know, one, to learn tracks and tires, but to show respect for European open-wheel racing, there are differences about it.
37:14And I think even now he's learning that or relearning that even from back from his lower formula days, you know, racing before. And I love the fact that that's his approach to show the respect, you know, to that sport, to learn what he needs to learn and to build a body of work that shows he belongs in Formula One, whether it's through FP1s or what he does, you know, on an F2 track. For Colton to take that step, to step out of the IndyCar spotlight to do that. I mean, it says massive, you know, bravery, massive amounts about Colton and his ability to do that. Did he need much persuasion? No, I just presented him with an opportunity.
37:52So it was last year we were at a race and I said, we've talked about this Formula One thing for a while. I said, here we are. And so you can stay in IndyCar and continue to do there or the path to Formula One is through this Formula Two route. And if you say no to that, then never speak to him about Formula One again. Let's just focus and go. And to Colton's credit, he didn't make a decision right away. He took almost a month to think about it and really count the cost of the life he had, the career that he's building in IndyCar versus the opportunity to go to Formula One. I mean, he's a racer.
38:28He saw an opening and he's going for it.
38:30Dan Towriss:But what does success look like for him this year in Formula Two? Because it's so idiosyncratic. Those cars, one weekend you'll see a team being really competitive and the next weekend they won't be. It's going to be a rough ride for him. Yeah, I mean, we'll have ways to evaluate. I mean, he needs to have a certain finish from a points standpoint. And I think we'll have ways of evaluating him from the sim, from FP1s, as well as just how he's driving in F2. I think also even just his approach. He's showing the F1 team how he works. How does he come to work every day? Is he entitled or is he there to roll up his sleeves and learn as much as he can?
39:08Obviously, he's racing against a lot of younger kids in the F2 series. So does he come in like thinking, I'm Colton Hurt. I'm going to show you boys how to do it. Or is he the workman that just comes in with the right attitude and gets after it? I would say so far, he's been the kid with the right attitude coming in to just do the work and prove himself.
39:28Dan Towriss:Definitely that. What is he saying about the cars? I mean, someone who's gone the other way, I read a quote from Mick Schumacher, who's having his first season in IndyCar this year, and he says the cars are very like F2 to drive. Obviously, the tires are different. Does Colton believe that as well? Is he getting the same feeling from the car? I mean, I think what we mostly talk about are just how different the tires are. You know, and I think from his standpoint, it's how different the F2 car is, you know, to the Formula 1 car. I think what a lot of people don't know, or we've talked about a little bit, was just how well Colton has done.
40:01So now let's go back to the Sauber story. We're looking to buy that team. So we send Colton over to the shop in Henville to get on the sim. And he was lightning fast within an hour and a half or so. He was faster than current Formula One drivers. Going forward from there, he did a test with McLaren. And the report that was written on him was stellar. and then back when I like what you did there by the way andrea stella yeah and then uh when Oscar left uh Alpine to go to McLaren there was some reshuffling and and so he did some testing there and and literally did so well through those sessions he came home with a Red Bull contract to sign and it it probably took me you know a month to convince Colton and his reps to not sign that contract and stay with us you know so there is a body of work for Colton that's there.
40:51He's really shown high potential, high aptitude for Formula One. And so again, not saying, well, hey, go back to that report and read what Andra Stella did write about me, you know, for Zach, you know, I deserve this seat. It's, I'm going to do the work. What do I need to do to earn my spot for that car? And I hope that's what people see is someone with a lot of talent who's shown very high potential in Formula One, who's willing to do the work to earn his spot to go to the pinnacle of motorsport to be in the show did you think of another way of
41:23Dan Towriss:getting his his super license points what is he he's five short i mean if he did all the fp ones this year yeah i mean you could do that or he could go you know he'd grab a couple points in i don't know dog sled racing in a weird place that might have points i mean there are ways to do that that's not the way to come in and and so i never really thought that was the right way for him and to colton's credit neither did he i think once he really thought about it it was this is what i want to do i want to prove myself and come because it's not just getting into formula one he wants to come in in the right way and i think that's what you see here with what he's trying to do and there's no clash uh with f2 and the indy 500 this year don't give us an exclusive is there any any chance that colton might roll out uh for the 500 yeah i think those rumors are out there okay you're not denying i'm not denying the rumors now okay but no decisions have been made that's very yeah that is very mario andretti even when mario was winning the formula one world championship in 1978 i think he did six indy car races that year including the 500 yeah i mean mario is just an absolute legend i mean you talk about someone having a need for speed it is mario Andretti.
42:39Dan Towriss:Yeah. By the way, got his first speeding ticket this last weekend at the age of, he turned 86 this last weekend. He's in St. Pete for the race. I think he got his, he was going 86 on his 86th birthday and some police officer decided to give Mario a speeding ticket, his first ever speeding ticket. Amazing. So I guess he did pretty well. I'm just envisaging the conversation now. Who do you think you are? Mario Andretti, right? I'm sure the cop has said that to him. And while we're talking about Mario, of course, this year's car is named after him. Tell us about the thought process behind that. Yeah.
43:15Again, with the origin of the team, even going back to, as we talked about, with the tie to Andretti origin story, I think what a better way for the America's newest team to celebrate with the 1978 world champion, Mario Andretti. And so I think if you're talking to Graham, going back to when we were recruiting people in Formula One with Formula One experience to come to the team with no entry, you know, there's an attractiveness to, yes, building a team from scratch. But it was just there was always this like aura around Mario and the racing ethos there. And it was it's it's this idea of wanting to be on a team that's all about racing.
43:53It's not corporate. It's Formula One is big business. Make no mistake about it. but they want to be racers. They want to be about racing. And, and there was something about Mario that represented that in this team to prospective people. And so I think it was just really important for the chassis to carry his name, you know, in, it was always the intent to do that. Even going back to the earliest paperwork submitted to the FIA, it was always going to be the Mac 26. And so even as the Cadillac Formula One team, both Mark Royce and myself were like, Like, we absolutely want Mario to be a part of this team forever.
44:29Dan Towriss:So we will see him at races, representing the team. I can't think of a better person to represent your racing team. Yeah, no, I mean, Mario is just, I mean, like I said, he's a legend. Dan, what is extraordinary is when we started this chat, you were saying, look, I'm new. I'm new to racing. Prior to trying to buy Sauber, it was a new adventure for you. you have learned very quickly and your passion for it is is shining bright in everything that you're saying yeah no thank you um you know i love the sport it's just the competition i mean sport has played a role in my life it just wasn't motorsport but again you know just the drive i mean even now like to watch all these people just you know you go into any garage right they're frenetically working and organized in this way to just build these technological wonders all those things are going to be a few feet apart maybe after you know racing several miles it's incredible to think about and it's so competitive and i absolutely love it so when you walk down the paddock here in albert park what sort of reception are you now getting from the other teams because they pushed back quite hard when you initially proposed the idea didn't they they did push back hard um but i mean now i think once the entry was approved you know we feel accepted in the paddock.
45:47The reception's been great. Graham's relationships are longstanding throughout Formula One. And so I think he's done a great job there. But yeah, I think we definitely feel accepted by the teams in the sense of you're a competitor now. So we're going to beat your brains in on track, which is totally fine. And honestly, even when I say look back to, as we talk about the resistance, I actually think back to it fondly because I think we're better off as a result of that. I think the team got better every step along the way. It's Formula One. No part of this should be easy.
46:21Dan Towriss:So if I were to talk to you about ambitions for year one, I mean, I've heard other people talking about we just want to progress, but is that your attitude to 2026? Yeah, I mean, there's going to be so much to learn even from this first weekend. And so I think what we don't want to do is set arbitrary expectations of, you know, this place finish or this many points. I think it's really about developing. You know, we're committed to Formula One for the long term. And so we want to have the right foundation. This is going to sound boring. Safe car, reliable car, then performance. And I'm actually pretty pleased with how, you know, how we looked in Bahrain, you know, through the testing.
46:58And so now we're going to start developing this car. You know, it was built on a computer. There was no track data to build this car, which is incredible when you think of it from that perspective. and now as the data is coming in, we can, you know, calibrate the tools, sharpen up the tools and, you know, and so it's going to be, what's the rate of development from the Cadillac Formula One team that you see this year? And that's really going to be how we judge ourselves, you know, week in and week out is how fast are we getting better? You know, we just don't want to look like a first year team.
47:26I think we want to exceed expectations and the goal is to be racing other cars. You know, we don't want to be running laps around the back disconnected from, you know, we want to be racing and that's, you know, that's really the goal. And then, again, that rate of development that the team has, that's going to be key for this year.
47:42Dan Towriss:We've already established that you are one of the very few people that have toes in all the different TWG racing teams. Just how much of your time is going to be spent on Formula One? So I'll personally attend 14 races this year. And then overall, I think I'll be at around 30 races across other series. So IndyCar, NASCAR, sports cars, Australian V8 supercars, Formula E. I don't think I left anything out. You've got a lot going on. Yeah. I can see a ladder. There's now a TWG ladder, isn't there? Yeah, absolutely. I mean, I think as I look across the driver lineup, it's super exciting. Jake Dennis and Felipe Drogovic in Formula E.
48:22We look at NASCAR, Carson Josevar, Daniel Suarez, Michael McDowell. Again, we just go across the series. I love the driver lineup that we have. And again, just setting that high bar, setting that high standard, regardless of what the series is. You'd ask before, you know, about the other TWG sports. I think in particular, it's the Dodgers. If someone knows Major League Baseball, the team's had a lot of success the last few years. It sets a very high bar within, you know, the TWG world for the expectations of what success looks like. And so, you know, that creates a lot of drive towards, you know, satisfying that ambition to, I mean, it's just, it's a very high standard.
49:02And so we're pushing, you know, in every area to do that. So if racing is now your sport, what was your sport growing up?
49:10Dan Towriss:Baseball. You're a baseball guy. Yeah, I'm a baseball guy. Still are a baseball guy, right? Yeah, still I'm a baseball guy. In fact, did you get a scholarship at uni? Am I right? Yeah, I did. You were actually a really good baseball player. Yeah, I was a pitcher in college, you know, hurt my elbow. Then I go do something else and decided to go into a math related field. And it's funny, I didn't have weeks and weeks where I was like sad and sitting in a dark room while that happened. I took the same drive that I was pushing in that team sport in baseball and just pointed it into the nerdiest thing I could think of, which was, you know, math and statistics to be an actuary.
49:47And so that's that's kind of was the next step for me in doing that. But again, the learning that's happened along the way, it's just you see an opportunity, you learn it and you go for it. And if you do it with drive and passion, it doesn't matter whether it's business, motorsport, whatever it is, you have a chance.
50:07Dan Towriss:That's a great place to end it. Dan, it's been great to meet you. Thank you very much. Thanks for having me on today. I appreciate it.
50:17Dan Towriss:drive and passion they are things that link everyone in formula one but it's clear that dan has them in spades otherwise how could he have got cadillac onto the grid in melbourne in the first place alongside the success of all of his other business interests i love this chat so much and learned so much about the team and the passion behind it good luck for the remainder of the season, Dan, and for the longer term too. Well, I hope you enjoyed that conversation and why not check out F1's other official podcasts. F1 Nation's review of the season opening Australian Grand Prix is out now. And later this week, F1 Explains will be answering your questions from the first race.
51:00Dan Towriss:That will also be on the F1 Nation podcast feed. Thanks very much for listening. And I'll be back with another great guest from the world of Formula One next week. F1 Beyond On The Grid is produced by Formula One and Audioboom Studios. Until next time, keep it flat out.
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From the publisher
CEO Dan Towriss takes Tom Clarkson back to the start of the story - how he and his TWG Motorsports company first became involved in discussions about F1, conversations with General Motors and Cadillac, the work to build a team, choosing their race drivers and making their F1 debut in Australia.
Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas are the first Cadillac F1 drivers. What do they bring to a new team? What does the future hold for the team’s reserve driver, IndyCar star Colton Herta?
And what are the team’s aims in their first season? The learning curve is steep at the pinnacle of motorsport, but as Dan says, ‘no part of this should be easy’.
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