Cadillac are joining the F1 grid - How to hire in a location with a knowledge gap
Cadillac are joining the grid in 2026!
Sure to shake up the competition, General Motors (racing under the brand Cadillac) have been allowed to join the grid as the 11th team in F1. This is a landmark change for the competition, being the first new team since 2016 when Haas made their debut. A new team is not only exciting on the track, but it's a really exciting time off the track as General Motors will be looking for 100s of new employees to serve their F1 endeavours.
General Motors have decided to give themselves the challenge of building their own engines by 2029, an ambitious target to say the least. And if this wasn't enough of a challenge already, they've decided to up the difficulty a couple of gears by building their dedicated factory in Charlotte, North Carolina. This will be the first factory of its kind in North America. This is a unique challenge for a team in F1 as they will be looking to build out their team in record time. Will they have the necessary skills and knowledge to build out this team? Let's look at the options they have…
Option 1: Use internal talent
General Motors are a company with huge history and heritage within motorsports. They are proven winners. In their ranks they will have a highly capable, highly technical pool of internal talent that is expected to make up the critical mass of this team build. Their existing employees will have a lot of relevant skills and experience that will make them easy to train to be capable of building Powerunits.
But there is one crucial element missing from this talent pool, and that's specific F1 PU knowledge. All that knowledge is currently based in Europe where all the other Powerunit factories are based. Other options will be needed to fill out a team that is capable of building a competitively viable Powerunit.
Option 2: Look locally
Another option is to look at aligned industries in the location you're hiring in. North Carolina is something of a hotspot for motorsports talent in North America, with the likes of Ilmor Inc., Honda Racing Corporation, and Hendricks all being nearby - all with amazing engine builders in their ranks. Top talent from these companies will be attracted by the proposition from General Motors. They will be chomping at the bit to apply their knowledge and skills to F1.
But, yet again, whilst the knowledge and skills they have are strong, they do not have that crucial F1 experience to draw on. A lack of F1 engine experience would prove to be a detrimental error for General Motors. They need to find a way to bring in this knowledge, and there is one final option that might be their best bet…
Option 3: Attract staff from overseas
The final option to solve this knowledge gap is to poach talent from competitors in overseas locations, so for Cadillac this is likely to look like going to Europe for their talent. This would be the easiest way to get the knowledge they need, but this will come at a cost. A large cost. Moving Europeans over to North Carolina will require a generous compensation package, as well as relocation assistance costs. It's an expensive route to go down to build a whole factory using this method, but for a few key hires it could prove to be a very worthwhile investment.
In our experience, knowledge mobility and relocation need a lot of thought put into it, for any company or team looking to move talent from one location to another. Whether it's supporting with housing (and sometimes schooling for any children!) or making sure the compensation package is competitive enough to make a move financially worthwhile, there are always a lot of elements to consider and prepare for when you go down this route for hiring the right people.