Mario Andretti confirmed that American IndyCar star Colton Herta stands at the forefront for Cadillac’s F1 team seating when the team begins racing in 2026. According to the legendary racing figure who advises Cadillac’s F1 project the final driver selections are near completion and Herta presents himself as their top choice.
Andretti discussed Herta’s professional development by spotlighting his participation in European junior formulae during his early career followed by his F1 test with McLaren in 2022. From the beginning of his racing career Colton has undergone thorough training according to Andretti who knew that his F3 debut was the first step before moving onto F1 with McLaren testing reports show,” Andretti said. Zak Brown provided his test driver services to Herta at the Portuguese circuit of Portimão. You will witness the McLaren team principal Andrea Stella’s report.
Cadillac decided to begin its F1 entry plan with Andretti Global as the 11th team but shifted its focus to an independent entry with General Motors. Since the beginning the driver seat selection for American nationals has served as a core objective during the overall development. The role continues to match Herta perfectly because he is now an IndyCar competitor for Andretti Global. The 2024 IndyCar series saw the younger Andretti finish as the second-place runner without the championship after making several costly errors in the race. However, he maintains he has all necessary qualities needed to win championships. Kanaan believes several errors in 2022 prevented him from winning the championship despite his unfortunate experience with championship losses. According to the driver he makes mistakes when he places excessive pressure on himself. The ingredients present in his racing abilities revealed his potential as a champion.
The FIA superlicense stands as a crucial requirement which Herta needs to acquire before getting an F1 seat. The Nashville 2024 season ending victory provided Herta with temporary superlicense points reaching 39 however the points earned from his 2021 season became obsolete leading him to stay at 32 points. Before joining F1 Herta needs to secure either top-five results in the 2025 IndyCar championship or any points from taking part in F1 open practice sessions. Motor racing rules state that drivers will obtain one point for FP1 whenever they fulfill the requirement to drive over 100 km. Herta has improved his chances of achieving his superlicense since teams must now include rookie driver practice sessions four times during each season.
New driver signings for the Cadillac F1 team remain under discussion according to management at Andretti. “Everything is ongoing right now. Throughout each day you keep thinking about those matters which will officially be confirmed most likely during the middle of the year. Every single possible aspect of every available opportunity gets examined by us. The team needs one American driver together with an experienced driver for starting the competition according to their present strategy.
Herta’s name persists in all discussions about U.S. drivers moving to F1. Herta demonstrates all the characteristics Cadillac needs in a driver including his forceful yet calm driving temperament and ability to maximize car performance which makes him suitable for Cadillac. His F1 entry attempts faced failure because of superlicense requirements especially during his cancelled transfer opportunity to AlphaTauri in 2023 after failing to collect enough points. The upcoming F1 debut looks promising because an American manufacturer stands behind it to showcase American talent on worldwide races.
Timings for making Cadillac’s driver lineup choices will most likely be evident in the following months while the team conducts additional assessments. The strong backing from Andretti and Herta’s proven abilities make him an increasingly likely candidate for F1 competition in 2026.
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