One year to go before Cadillac also enters Formula One – driver question still open, decision expected in summer: Colton Herta is still the top favorite
Cadillac will be the eleventh team to join Formula One in 2026. The question of who will drive for the newcomer from the USA is still open, but racing legend and Cadillac consultant Mario Andretti is once again emphasizing his favorite: Colton Herta.
“I would say so,” Andretti confirmed in an exclusive interview with Motorsport.com that the 24-year-old IndyCar driver is still at the top of the team’s list.
“If you look at how Colton has trained from the beginning of his career,” enthuses the 1978 world champion, ‘he famously started in Formula 3 with the likes of Lando Norris, and he has already tested in Formula 1. Zak Brown enabled him to have a good test in Portimao, Portugal.’
F1 test with McLaren: “You should see the report”
In the summer of 2022, Herta was able to get a taste of F1 air for the first time in an old car from the Papaya team. “You should see the report we got from Andrea Stella – and Andrea is a person who tells it like it is. So yes, he is a great candidate,” Andretti reveals. Nothing has been decided yet, after all, there are many factors to consider: ‘But in my opinion, he is a good bet,’ says the now 84-year-old.
The business card of former racing driver Bryan Herta’s son actually looks good at first glance: youngest race winner in the IndyCar at just 18 years old, already in his second full season he finished third in the championship. In the following year, he managed three victories and an overall ranking of five. But then, with two tenth places, his career suffered a small setback at the faltering Andretti team.
All the more important was his comeback in 2024: Herta won in Toronto and Nashville, eventually finishing the season as runner-up. After two years of perceived stagnation, this was the breakthrough he needed and the next step in his development: in 2024, Herta achieved much more consistent results, whereas previously it was mainly isolated highlights that showcased his skills.
Andretti: Herta has “the ingredients of a champion”
“Not only that, he is also very versatile. He is good at everything, like the ovals, short ovals, superspeedways. He is competitive everywhere, so he is definitely champion material,” says Andretti, looking ahead to the upcoming IndyCar season, which could be Herta’s last for the time being. With the championship title in the bag, she could say goodbye to Formula 1 with a clear conscience…
Andretti thinks Herta is capable of it: “Last year, he made a few mistakes that cost him a championship, unfortunately that happens. Sometimes you put too much pressure on yourself and then you make mistakes. But if you look at the ingredients that were there, they were the ingredients of a champion,” he says, speaking highly of the Californian.
The General Motors Formula One project will also need the right ingredients by next year at the latest – and good drivers are naturally part of that, as Andretti knows better than anyone. “Right now, everything is in motion. These things are on our minds every day, and it will probably be official by the middle of the year,” explains the Cadillac consultant.
He is aware that “there is a lot to consider: if you just look at social media, people throw certain names around, but of course we look at every aspect of every possibility that is out there. It is clear that the goal is to have at least one American driver and then another experienced driver alongside, and to start with that.”
No wonder, then, that the name Sergio Perez is being bandied about again and again these days – the Mexican would be available after his departure from Red Bull and has not yet decided on his future in the premier class, but he would bring not only a broad fan base but also additional sponsorship money. And he could teach Herta a lot with his 14 years of Formula 1 experience.
Dealbreaker Super license: Herta still lacks points
Alone: The American still has to overcome a hurdle that once caused a flirtation with the then AlphaTauri team to fail in the fall of 2022: He needs the necessary super license points to enter Formula 1. By finishing runner-up in 2024, Herta has at least come significantly closer to this essential building block for his dream of reaching the top tier, as he now has 31 points.
In theory, a fourth place in the championship in 2025 would be enough for him to reach the necessary 40. If Herta finishes fifth, a single appearance in free practice with one of the current F1 racing teams could help. If the American covers more than 100 kilometers, he also receives a point for the Super License.
Since the Formula One teams have had to field four rookies in the training sessions since this season, Herta’s chances of getting a chance to prove herself have automatically increased – and with that, her chances of getting a regular cockpit at Cadillac for the start of 2026.
