Cadillac has boosted its ranks with the capture of long-serving Haas figure Peter Crolla as its new Formula 1 race team manager.
As the American operation continues its preparations to join the F1 grid in 2026, the arrival of Crolla this spring will be a big benefit in helping it be best prepared for the challenges that lie ahead.
Crolla is a well-known figure in the F1 paddock, and played a major role in building up and establishing the Haas team in grand prix racing – so has first-hand experience of the pitfalls and opportunities of a new team entry.
He originally joined Haas from McLaren in May 2015 as race team co-ordinator to help get the squad established on the grid for its debut season in 2016.
He moved into a team manager role at the end of 2017 and remained in that role – apart from a brief spell as trackside operations manager between 2021 and 2022 – until the end of last year. His departure from Haas comes amid a reshuffle of the infrastructure at the Banbury-based operation.
Confirmation of Crolla’s arrival at Cadillac coincides with the team’s F1 entry for 2026 set to get the green light imminently.
As revealed by The Race recently, the FIA is in the final stages of signing off the entry for formal approval prior to a commercial deal needing to be struck with F1 management.
While Cadillac will be the newest team on the grid, it has made sure to take on board experienced figures like Crolla to be as well prepared as possible for what lies ahead.
One of its key signings last year was F1 veteran Pat Symonds, who finally joined last month as a consultant to help guide the build-up phase to the new entry.
Writing on LinkedIn recently, Symonds said he was hugely impressed by what he had found at the team – especially considering the operation at Silverstone is brand new.
“I hadn’t been sure what to expect,” he said. “This is very much a start-up, but a few key people have been working really hard for over a year now and what they have achieved is remarkable.
“Even though I have worked with most of them before and know the quality of their work, I was still hugely impressed, not just with the progress on the car itself, but with the solid foundational work behind it.
“I truly believe that we can put a car on the grid in 2026 that will be a credit to the team and Formula 1 itself.”
