Colton Herta

Montoya questions whether switch to F1 is ”smart” for Herta

on 12 March 2025

Now that Cadillac is on track to enter Formula 1 in 2026, it is time for the new team to start thinking seriously about who its drivers will be.

Ever since Michael Andretti started the project to bring a new team to F1, which has since evolved into the Cadillac entry backed by General Motors and Dan Towriss’ TWG Group, Colton Herta’s name has been mentioned time and time again.

In a recent interview with Motorsport.com, Mario Andretti, who remains associated with the Cadillac project as a board director, insisted that Herta was the leading candidate to drive one of the new team’s cars.

Juan Pablo Montoya, who enjoyed a successful career in both F1 and IndyCar, understands why Herta is attractive to Cadillac.

“There’s a chance he could do it, 100 percent”, Montoya told Motorsport.com via Oddspedia when asked about the chances of Herta racing in F1 with the Cadillac team.

Colton Herta, Andretti Global

Photo by: Penske Entertainment

“I think they would have to do a good job preparing him. I think it would need a lot of work doing tests and everything, like everybody does with the old cars, to do enough miles to prepare him for the year ahead, but I honestly do believe that they could do it, and I think that’s their hope”.

The two-time Indy500 winner then hinted at a scenario that has not yet been publicly discussed, namely that Herta could join Cadillac as a reserve rather than as a race driver.

Cadillac on F1 plans · RaceFans

Admin

on 10 March 2025

Cadillac Formula 1 team principal Graeme Lowden has given the first indication of how the team intends to select drivers for its debut next year.

He said the team entered by US carmaking giant General Motors will give serious consideration to running an American driver, but only if they prove competitive enough.

“We’ll definitely select on merit,” Lowden told media including RaceFans today. “Formula 1’s not a playground. This is the pinnacle of world motorsport so, for sure, we need to select drivers on merit.”

The FIA and Formula 1 confirmed last week Cadillac will enter the championship in 2026. Although many drivers are already under contract for 2026, several multiple race winners lost their race seats last year.

Logan Sargeant, Williams, Zandvoort, 2024 — Sargeant is not looking for a comeback, says Lowden

“Luckily for us there are a lot of good drivers out there,” Lowden acknowledged. “Unfortunately, we’ve not been able to be in the driver market until the entry is confirmed, so it’s a little bit too early to go too much into any detail, because it’s only now that we’re able to have meaningful conversations. But for sure we want to have drivers that can contribute to the overall programme.”

Lowden acknowledged the speculation that the US team would prefer to have at least one driver from America. There are no US drivers on the grid at present.

“Personally, I see no reason why an American driver can’t be selected on merit,” he said. “It’s certainly something I think the fans would like to see and I see no reason why that can’t happen.”

| Become a RaceFans supporter and go ad-free

“Just because someone’s American doesn’t mean that they can’t be a good Formula 1 driver,” he added. “We’re not starting a team for the short-term.

Colton Herta, Andretti, Nashville, 2024 — Herta has ability but not a licence, says Lowden

“The partners have made this commitment into Formula 1 very much for the longer-term. We spoke fairly early on in the process about our desire to also improve opportunities and the ability for the drivers to come through as well.

“We will be looking at some form of academy programme. So looking forward, I see no reason why we won’t have American drivers in the team on merit.”

There are few American drivers with the necessary FIA superlicence points which would allow them to compete in F1. One of the few, Logan Sargeant, lost his drive with Williams in the middle of last year, and Lowden believes he is not looking to return to F1.

“Logan, from my understanding, is no longer involved in motorsport,” he said. “He’s an American but no we haven’t had any conversations with him.”

US IndyCar driver Colton Herta has been linked to the team before, and Cadillac’s consultant Mario Andretti has named him as a potential target. However his lack of superlicence points rules him out for the time being, Lowden acknowledged.

| Become a RaceFans supporter and go ad-free

“He doesn’t have the required number of super licence points and if that were to remain the case then that’s clearly an impediment for him. We can’t choose a driver that doesn’t have the points, that’s just the real world that we live in and we just have to take that into account.

“Does his lack of reaching this or lack of being at the threshold for the superlicence in any way affect his ability to drive a race car? No, he’s an incredibly talented driver and so, for sure, it’s not shock news that we would be looking to consider Colton alongside a whole bunch of other drivers as well.

“Certainly he’s not the only one actually in that situation, and he won’t be the last, where there’s some uncertainty due to superlicence points, But we just have to live with that, that’s the regulation, we just have to respect it.”

Another driver who lost his F1 race seat last year, Zhou Guanyu, has a connection to Lowden via his management team. Lowden praised Zhou’s performance but insisted he will not be given preferential treatment when it comes to selecting the team’s drivers.

Go ad-free for just £1 per month

>> Find out more and sign up

“Zhou has done an exceptionally good job under difficult circumstances over the last couple of years. What makes it actually quite useful for me is he doesn’t necessarily need to explain the background of his abilities because I’ve had a front row seat to see all that, so that’s a benefit.

“There’s the correct checks and balances in place, so there’s no favouritism in any particular direction towards him or any other driver that we may have involvement with, as you know we’ve been involved with other drivers on the grid as well.”

“We’re there to do a job so we’ll select drivers on merit,” he added. “There’s some really good ones out there, Zhou included. Now we’re actually able to actually engage and see what the best driver line-up will be for the team.”

| Become a RaceFans supporter and go ad-free

Miss nothing from RaceFans

Get a daily email with all our latest stories – and nothing else. No marketing, no ads. Sign up here:

Formula 1

Browse all Formula 1 articles

Alex Palou/Cadillac/Colton Herta/daniel ricciardo/Felipe Drugovich/Formula 1/George Russell/Kevin Magnussen/Logan Sargeant/Mick Schumacher/Sergio Perez/theo pourchaire/valtteri bottas/Yuki Tsunoda/zhou guanyu

Who will Cadillac select as its first two Formula 1 race drivers? · RaceFans

Admin

on 10 March 2025

The Formula 1 grid will expand for the first time in a decade next year following the confirmation Cadillac will join the field.

The opening race of the 2026 F1 season will see 22 cars on the grid. But which drivers will grab the two places at F1’s newest team?

Any new arrival on the grid is always going to value experience. Last year’s upheaval in the driver market means Cadillac could easily pair up two drivers who have started hundreds of grands prix and won more than a few.

However at least one rookie driver has already been linked to the team as well. And there is always the possibility Cadillac could hire one of the 20 drivers already on the grid.

Current drivers

George Russell

With most drivers at top teams locked in beyond the current season, George Russell is the most obvious target for Cadillac. Whether Mercedes firm up his contract for future seasons will be a significant point of interest this year.

Yuki Tsunoda

Red Bull overlooked Yuki Tsunoda for promotion at the end of last year, so now he is beginning his fifth season in the second, junior team. Tsunoda would bring experience at likely a low cost and he’s matured considerably since his early days in F1.

Former drivers

Valtteri Bottas

Valtteri Bottas is a multiple race winner with stacks of experience at a multiple-championship-winning team. He’d be an obvious target for a new team – potentially the only factor working against him is he’s not the only driver with such an attractive CV. His recent experience at a Ferrari customer team should also count in his favour as Cadillac will use prancing horsepower next year.

| Become a RaceFans supporter and go ad-free

Sergio Perez

Sergio Perez is another driver with similar credentials to Bottas, though he suffered a bruising ejection from Red Bull after the end of last season. Having an enormously popular driver from north America in the team could be a bonus for Cadillac’s marketing division, in much the same way F1’s other US team arrived with Esteban Gutierrez.

Daniel Ricciardo

On paper, Daniel Ricciardo is a terrific candidate for Cadillac: Not only is he an experienced, accomplished driver with multiple grand prix wins, he has great name recognition from his starring appearances in Drive to Survive. However his career appears to be over following his struggles with the current generation of cars at McLaren and RB.

Kevin Magnussen

If Kevin Magnussen does return to F1 it won’t be the first resurrection of his grand prix career – he returned before after exits from McLaren and Haas.

Logan Sargeant

If Cadillac decide they must have an American driver, there’s only one available who’s already raced in F1. However Sargeant’s career came to an ignominious end last year when, having already learned Williams would drop him at the end of the season, he was shown the door nine races early.

Zhou Guanyu

Zhou Guanyu didn’t distinguish himself over three years alongside Bottas, but he’d likely be an inexpensive choice and has used Ferrari power units before.

Mick Schumacher

Ejected by Haas after just two seasons, Mick Schumacher is clearly keen to find a way back into F1, but Cadillac might have the same concerns over him that they do Sargeant.

| Become a RaceFans supporter and go ad-free

New drivers

Nine-times IndyCar race-winner Colton Herta has long been associated with this project through his connection to Andretti. He’s quick enough that Red Bull tried to get him into their second F1 team but were thwarted by the FIA’s superlicence points system which awards fewer point to IndyCar drivers than those in Formula 3. Herta appears somewhat embittered by that experience and has recently played down his chances of getting into F1, even though he now meets the FIA’s criteria.

Alex Palou

If Cadillac chooses to go driver shopping in IndyCar they couldn’t do better than Alex Palou, who has become the series’ new star, winning three titles in his first five years.

Felipe Drugovich

The 2022 Formula 2 champion has unquestionably paid his dues in the junior categories and has waited patiently for a chance to make his F1 debut. That opportunity has not come yet at Aston Martin and he must surely be considering a move elsewhere.

Theo Pourchaire

Drugovich’s successor flitted around last year, making a brief appearance in Super Formula, then switching to IndyCar where he appeared to find a home at McLaren, only to lose his place.

Jak Crawford

A former Red Bull junior, now backed by Aston Martin, Cadillac would be wise to keep an eye on how Crawford gets on in F2 this year as his experience of F1 circuits could make him a better pick among the potential US drivers.

| Become a RaceFans supporter and go ad-free

Over to you

Which two drivers do you think Cadillac should target for its Formula 1 team? Have your say in the comments.

Miss nothing from RaceFans

Get a daily email with all our latest stories – and nothing else. No marketing, no ads. Sign up here:

Formula 1

Browse all Formula 1 articles

Formula 1/IndyCar

Andretti says Herta is at the top of Cadillac’s F1 driver list

Admin

on 24 February 2025

According to racing legend and Cadillac advisor Mario Andretti, American IndyCar driver Colton Herta is still the odds-on favorite to be called up for driving duty when the team hits the Formula 1 grid for the 2026 season. And he says the General-Motors-backed squad is looking to finalize its driver roster soon.

“Looking back at the way Colton has trained from the very beginning of his young career — as you know, he started in Formula 3 and so on with the likes of Lando Norris, and he’s done some F1 testing,” Andretti said. “Zak Brown gave him a good test at Portimao in Portugal. You should see the report that we got from [team principal] Andrea Stella. And Andrea is an individual that says it like it is — so again, [Herta’s] a great candidate. And all of this has to be proven, of course, but going in, he’s a good bet, in my opinion.”

The once-Andretti-branded 11th team has never made a secret of wanting to pair an American driver with an experienced F1 veteran. As Andretti mentioned, Herta has already tested an F1 car for McLaren at Portimao, back in 2022. In 2024, he ended his IndyCar season with Andretti Global as runner-up in the series, and will continue his title hunt with the team for 2025.

Colton Herta, driving the McLaren MCL35M in his test at Portimao

Photo by: McLaren

“Some mistakes were made last year that cost him a championship, and unfortunately that happens,” Andretti told Motorsport. “Sometimes you put too much pressure on yourself and then you make that mistake. But when you look at the ingredients that were there, you had the ingredients of a champion. But for just one of those instances, he could have been champion. So, when you look back and assess all those things, you’ve got to feel pretty good.”

When asked if he felt the 24-year-old showed a different side to his game in 2024 by being a more consistent frontrunner to match his natural turn of speed, Andretti said. “Not only that, but he’s also very versatile. He’s good in every area, like the ovals, short ovals, superspeedway. He’s competitive everywhere, so he’s definitely championship material.

As for the timing of signing drivers, Andretti confirmed that the process is in progress. “Everything is on-going right now. You think about those things every day, and that’s going to become official probably mid-year,” he said.

“We are obviously looking at every aspect of every opportunity that’s there. It’s clear that the objectives are to have at least one American driver and then another experienced driver alongside, and start like that.”

One of Herta’s next hurdles: getting his FIA superlicense. Winning the 2024 IndyCar season finale in Nashville raised his superlicense points tally to 39, out of a required 40. Finishing in the top five this IndyCar season would get him across the line. But Herta can also earn one point per Formula 1 FP1 session, as long as he completes 100km in each outing. With teams now being required to run four rookies per year in practice sessions, there may be more opportunities for Herta to log crucial superlicense points and get useful seat time.

“No doubt” Herta is quick enough for Formula 1

Admin

on 7 February 2025

Colton Herta’s IndyCar team mate Marcus Ericsson says the 24-year-old is undoubtedly quick enough to compete in Formula 1.

Ericsson, who spent five years in F1 alongside team mates such as Charles Leclerc, joined Herta at Andretti’s IndyCar team last year. He described Herta as a “raw talent” and “one of the best I’ve been up against.”

“I think he even sometimes doesn’t know himself how he can be so fast in certain corner combinations,” Ericsson told Speed Street. “He’s just got that feel for things.

“Also something I feel like with Colton, he’s very good at adapting to different situations. Like, the track changes, it’s different conditions, track grip goes up or down, he’s very good at adapting to different situations and I think that makes him really, really good.

“When he gets into his zone, he can just do things with a race car that very few people can do. So he’s definitely up there as one of the best team mates I’ve raced against.”

Herta has been named as a potential target by for promotion to F1 by Cadillac, which is poised to gain a place on the grid next year.

“For sure he’s got the talent for it,” said Ericsson. “I think there’s no doubt about that, he’s got the talent for it.

| Become a RaceFans supporter and go ad-free

“We all know F1 and IndyCar have two very different type of cars to drive with tyres and tracks and everything, but I have no doubt that he could do a really good job there.”

Marcus Ericsson, Sauber, Yas Marina, 2018 — Ericsson left F1 at the end of 2018

Herta finished second in the IndyCar series last year and now has sufficient FIA superlicence points to qualify to race in F1. However he indicated last month his desire to make the change has faded.

“I don’t really have a concern with it at all,” said Herta. “I’ve kind of been dragged around in this talk for, it feels like, half a decade now. I’ve had the carrot in front of me for a while.

“I’m kind of tired of that being the case, and I just want to drive at this point and focus on IndyCar this year and focus on winning a championship, and if something arises out of that, I’d have to think about it.

“It’s still not a for sure thing. All my friends and family are here in the US and I don’t know anybody where I’m going, so it’s a big decision to make if I have to make that decision.”

Ericsson said he found it difficult to adjust to F1 as he raced for a series of uncompetitive teams and never felt he had a realistic chance of competing for victories.

| Become a RaceFans supporter and go ad-free

“I was there five years, and not once in those five years… I knew I was not going to win,” he said. “I knew I needed, like, 10 cars to crash if I was going to win.”

“All your junior career all you’re thinking was to win,” he added. “That was your mindset every weekend: I need to win, I need to win. And then you get to your ultimate goal and suddenly it’s like, alright, got to get P14 today.”

He moved into IndyCar the year after losing his F1 seat and has won four races since then.

“The first few years you’re so excited to be in F1 so I didn’t really care so much, it was just super-cool,” he said. “But then, after a few years, it’s really tough.

“I want[ed] to win again, I want[ed] to at least feel like I had the chance to do it. It’s one thing to maybe not do it, but at least know in yourself that I can win if I do everything right. That was really hard to not even have that feeling.

“I remember coming to IndyCar, that was one of the coolest things coming to IndyCar to actually know that we can win again, there is a chance to win races again. It’s not going to be easy, but there is a chance.”

| Become a RaceFans supporter and go ad-free

Ericsson said one of his fondest memories from F1 was scoring points in the second round of 2018 having gone two years without finishing in the top 10.

“In my last year, 2018, when I scored points, we had a really bad year the year before, we didn’t score any points – I didn’t score any points for like two years or something. We were really struggling financially in the team and we were really in a bad spot.

“Then in Bahrain there in 2018 I finished ninth, I think it was, and it was a first point for the team in a long time and beat Leclerc, who was my team mate then and scored the first points for Alfa [Sauber’s title sponsor] and that was a big moment for me and felt very much like a win. That was pretty sick.”

Miss nothing from RaceFans

Get a daily email with all our latest stories – and nothing else. No marketing, no ads. Sign up here:

Formula 1

Browse all Formula 1 articles

Content Types

Content Cost

Video Categories

Video Tags

Blog Categories

Blog Tags

Post Date

Sort by

Colton Herta

Go ad-free for just £1 per month

Miss nothing from RaceFans

Formula 1

Current drivers

George Russell

Yuki Tsunoda

Former drivers

Valtteri Bottas

Sergio Perez

Daniel Ricciardo

Kevin Magnussen

Logan Sargeant

Zhou Guanyu

Mick Schumacher

New drivers

Colton Herta

Alex Palou

Felipe Drugovich

Theo Pourchaire

Jak Crawford

Over to you

Miss nothing from RaceFans

Formula 1

Miss nothing from RaceFans

Formula 1

Latest News

Trending Replays

About Us

Your home of Formula 1 replays.

Information

Category

Latest Posts