Marcin Budkowski defended Sergio Perez‘s role with the Cadillac Formula effort as the 2026 season resumed, speaking while the team continued major infrastructure work centred on its new headquarters in Fishers, Indiana and upgrades at Silverstone.
The comments matter because Cadillac is in the debut year of its Formula campaign and is balancing on-track development with a large-scale buildout that includes a planned 450,000-square-foot facility in Fishers, Indiana an engine expansion in Charlotte, North Carolina and aerodynamic work at Toyota’s wind tunnel in Cologne, Germany. Budkowski’s defence aims to counter rising speculation about driver movement and stability within the team.
Budkowski’s defence and Perez’s role
Budkowski, who took the helm at Cadillac for the 2026 campaign, said that Perez has been central to the team’s development both on and off track and dismissed transfer rumours linking Perez to Williams. He argued that experience was necessary in a young organisation and highlighted Perez’s on-track metrics versus teammate Valtteri Bottas where Perez led 9-5 in qualifying head-to-heads. Budkowski emphasised driver stability as part of the team’s broader learning curve and development strategy.
On Perez’s influence behind the scenes Budkowski was explicit about the driver’s work ethic, saying, “Checo’s been an asset to the team and so have both drivers, to be honest, because there’s been a lot of talk about taking two very experienced drivers. ” He added, ” But I think it’s crucial in a young team like this to provide that experience and that stability. If you have a driver learning and the whole team learning at the same time, that’s too many variables. “
Infrastructure build: Fishers, Charlotte and Silverstone
Cadillac has committed significant capital and resources to its long-term operation. The project includes the 450,000-square-foot facility in Fishers, Indiana phased rollouts for deployment, and an expanded engine manufacturing presence in Charlotte, North Carolina. The team continued to operate from a primary base at Silverstone while using Toyota‘s wind tunnel in Cologne, Germany to validate aerodynamic work on the MAC-26 chassis. Team founding executive Graeme Lowdon framed the effort as akin to “building the plane while you’re flying it.”
Budkowski outlined a priority on aligning people, tools and information flow to accelerate decision-making and car development within the cost cap. He stressed that the facility and equipment upgrades at Silverstone were ongoing and intended to complement the Fishers build and Charlotte engine programme as the season progressed.
Performance context and team leadership
Perez brought experience from his years at Red Bull and a record of six wins in 292 grand prix starts, which Budkowski said translated into valuable feedback and a mindset the team needed. “I think that’s the kind of mindset that we want and that’s also the kind of mindset that I will bring,” Budkowski stated when describing the leadership and competitive approach he expected to instil.
The leadership transition that installed Budkowski as team principal followed an initial phase managed by Graeme Lowdon with the organisation now moving from formation to competitive development. The appointment was described by Cadillac executives as a strategic step to build a next-generation team capable of competing at the front, and Budkowski’s remit included maximising car development within the cost cap.
Driver market and speculation
Speculation about driver lines involving Williams where the futures of Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz were reported as uncertain, has circulated throughout the season, but Cadillac’s leadership has publicly rebuffed links involving Perez. Budkowski warned that simultaneous learning by drivers and team would add variables the programme could not sustain and reiterated that the combination of Perez and Bottas provided a balance of experience to support MAC-26 improvement.
As the Dutch Grand Prix weekend approached and the season moved into its second half, Cadillac planned to continue incremental upgrades and to rely on the on-track work of Perez and Bottas to refine setup and performance. Last update: 13 August 2026
