Cadillac’s glitzy Miami launch is all part of its slow roll-out plan

Cadillac F1 made its first public appearance as a Formula 1 team at Queen, a Japanese steakhouse in Miami Beach that was transformed into a swanky launchpad amidst the Grand Prix weekend extravaganza.

While some raised an eyebrow at a ‘launch’ that didn’t seem to launch anything at all, they may have missed the point: The event was an invitation to “come and have a look” at how an F1 team is made, says future Cadillac team principal Graeme Lowdon.

Cadillac invites media, insiders to “come and have a look” in Miami

When word spread that Cadillac F1 was hosting a formal launch party at Queen, a Japanese steakhouse in Miami Beach, during the Miami Grand Prix weekend, speculation flourished. Would we see a livery? A driver announcement? An official team name?

Those who allowed themselves to get swept up in conjecture, then, were likely disappointed that the “only” thing announced during a party packed with live performances by Janelle Monáe and speeches by Terry Crews was a team logo — one that looks exactly like Cadillac’s standard road car logo.

Cadillac was clear that it wouldn’t be announcing anything; rather, its goal in hosting a “launch” event was to launch the team into the public consciousness — to invite folks to “come and have a look” at how an F1 team is born.

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While some fans and pundits approached the launch with skepticism, incoming Cadillac team principal Graeme Lowdon told PlanetF1.com that it was all part of the plan.

“We don’t want to overwhelm people,” he explained of the team’s roll-out strategy. “We just want to slowly introduce ourselves to people at events.”

For Lowdon, this is all part of growing a fanbase in an authentic way, “because when the fanbase grows, the ecosystem grows.”

He continued, “It’s just part of the little steps to say, ‘Here we are. This is who we are.’ ”

Lowdon was bullish in reaffirming that Cadillac intends to be an American team, one that hopes to attract members of the surging US fanbase who may not feel that they’ve been adequately represented in Formula 1.

“From that point of view, we don’t want people to follow us,” he explained.

“We want people to join us.

“It’s, I think, a different kind of approach. We want people to feel like this is my team, and it’s one of the things I love about sport.

“You can pick your team and run with it, and if we can do that with people, then we’re providing a service to them. They don’t have to pay us. And if we can provide excitement, sense of belonging, whatever — then happy days.”

That commitment to connection was on display at the team’s swanky Miami launch party, though it might not be obvious to the fans looking on from home.

See, when it comes to swanky team parties in luxurious locales like Miami Beach, Monaco, or Las Vegas, the goal is often to appeal to people outside of the motorsport realm. You’ll spot A-listers, influencers, and entertainment journalists at these soirées, while actual motorsport media are often left off the guest list.

Yet Cadillac opened its doors to all stripes. There were few journalists in the media center who didn’t receive an invitation, and paddock insiders — including personnel from rival teams and prospective drivers like Mick Schumacher — turned up in droves alongside stars such as Terry Crews and Janelle Monáe.

If that come-one-come-all mindset is at all indicative of how Cadillac will run its F1 team, then skeptical onlookers may be in for a surprise.

“In terms of building the brand, if you like, and building the essence of what the team is, we’ve got much more freedom to be able to do that,” Lowdon said.

“We’ve got more freedom time-wise as well, so the cadence of how we can interact with people is different. As I said, we want people to enjoy the team and join it and whatever, and that wouldn’t work if we’re steamrolling them.

“So, we’ll just steadily be building, steadily trying to bring more and more people into the family.

“It doesn’t happen very often, so if you want to be involved in how a team is created, here’s the chance. Come and have a look.”

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