Formula 1 Azerbaijan GP

Cadillac makes three major tech hires including former Red Bull design chief

The Cadillac Formula 1 team has shored up its technical leadership with three major signings, including former Red Bull man Craig Skinner

Filip Cleeren

Edited: Sep 24, 2026, 3:31 PM

Copy link

Share on Viber

Add as a preferred source

Valtteri Bottas, Cadillac Racing

Photo by: Andy Hone/ LAT Images via Getty Images

The Cadillac F1 Team has snapped up engineering trio Craig Skinner, Eric Blandin and Tim Lean as it aims to accelerate its development.

Former Red Bull chief designer Skinner, the architect of Red Bull's championship winning RB19, joins as Cadillac's chief development engineer. Motorsport.com understands Skinner was close to a move to Alpine, but is instead taking up the US-owned team's offer.

Former Aston Martin deputy tech chief Eric Blandin becomes the team's head of aerodynamics. Experienced aerodynamicist Tim Lean joins as Chief Engineer - Aerodynamics Modelling and Simulation, following stints at McLaren, Red Bull and Ferrari, reporting to Blandin.

Cadillac made its debut this season as an 11th expansion team, set up by former Manor man Graeme Lowdon with veteran grand prix winners Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas as its drivers.

The team made a respectable debut with its MAC-26 car powered by Ferrari engines, but with management keen to step up its development pace Cadillac CEO Dan Towriss moved to replace Lowdon during the summer break with former Alpine executive Marcin Budkowski.

Having been mired in various operational and build quality issues, Budkowski first job is to further strengthen the team's procedures and tap into co-owner General Motors' existing resources.

Craig Skinner, former Red Bull Racing Chief Designer

Photo by: Red Bull Content Pool

Meanwhile, the US-owned squad has now also moved to shore up its technical leadership group with three big-name signings as the team prepares its 2027 sophomore campaign.

Given the long lead time and gardening leave periods involved, Cadillac announced the three would "all join the team in the next few months."

“These appointments represent a vital step in the technical evolution of the team,” said Marcin Budkowski, Team Principal, Cadillac Formula 1 Team. “Bringing together experienced leadership across development, aerodynamics and modelling will help us create a stronger integrated technical organization and improve performance on track. Craig, Eric and Tim bring race and championship-winning experience to Cadillac F1 in areas that are central to our long-term development.”

Cadillac recently set up shop in a brand-new UK headquarters in Silverstone, while working on a new state-of-the-art base in Fishers, Indiana.

The signing of Skinner, Blandin and Lean appears to be a clear sign the Cadillac team is full steam ahead despite lingering doubts over part of its ownership group amid a wider investigation into Mark Walter, owner of the TWG Global group which is the team's majority owner.

We want your opinion!

What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?

Take our 5 minute survey.

- The Motorsport.com Team

Read and post comments

Share Or Save This Story

Copy link

Share on Viber

Previous article Jamie Chadwick reflects on "surreal" maiden Williams F1 test

Next article Imola building grandstands, Abu Dhabi plan A – What’s really going on with F1’s season finale?

Top Comments

There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?

View More & Comment

Latest news

Barcelona set to host IndyCar race in 2027 under multi-year deal

IndyCar

Indy IndyCar 11 h

Barcelona set to host IndyCar race in 2027 under multi-year deal

Winners and losers from a Chase-altering NASCAR Cup race at Phoenix

NASCAR Cup

NAS NASCAR Cup

Phoenix II

13 h

Winners and losers from a Chase-altering NASCAR Cup race at Phoenix

Heart of Racing rules Valkyrie GTP step next year ‘too soon’ for IMSA standout Barrichello

IMSA

IMSA IMSA 13 h

Heart of Racing rules Valkyrie GTP step next year ‘too soon’ for IMSA standout Barrichello

Sergio Perez: Debut Cadillac season "without a doubt one of my best years"

Formula 1

F1 Formula 1

United States GP

13 h

Sergio Perez: Debut Cadillac season "without a doubt one of my best years"

Feature

Discover prime content

How levelling the playing field isn’t antithetical to the principles of F1

Formula 1

By Pat Symonds

How levelling the playing field isn’t antithetical to the principles of F1

Lights, Camara, action: How Haas picked F1's latest rookie for 2027

Formula 1

Singapore GP

By Jake Boxall-Legge

Lights, Camara, action: How Haas picked F1's latest rookie for 2027

Employing team orders can simply be a matter of common sense

Formula 1

By Kevin Turner

Employing team orders can simply be a matter of common sense

Why Christian Horner sees history repeating itself for Adrian Newey at Aston Martin

Formula 1

Singapore GP

By Ronald Vording

Why Christian Horner sees history repeating itself for Adrian Newey at Aston Martin

Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.

From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.

You have 2 options:

Become a subscriber.
Disable your adblocker.

Subscribe now Already subscribed? Sign in here

Already disabled your adblocker?
Reload page

Manage Alerts