The Cadillac Formula 1 team has signed American racer Colton Herta as its reserve driver ahead of the IndyCar star’s expected switch to Formula 2 next season.
Herta, 25 years old, was confirmed just a week after the nascent team confirmed Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Pérez as its full-time drivers for 2026.
The Californian had long been connected to a role at Cadillac, which started life as a project helmed by motorsport mogul Michael Andretti. The Cadillac team is operated by TWG Motorsports, which also operates the Andretti IndyCar team that has fielded Herta for the last five seasons.
Fox Sports, available on Kayo Sports, is the only place to watch every practice, qualifying session and race in the 2025 FIA Formula One World Championship™ LIVE in 4K. New to Kayo? Join now and get your first month for just $1.
“I’m incredibly excited,” Herta said. “This is a dream opportunity and one I’ve been working towards for a long time.
“To be part of Cadillac F1’s entry at such a pivotal time is something I couldn’t pass up.
“My dream has always been to race in Formula 1, and I see this move as a huge step towards that goal.
“For now my focus is on giving everything I can to Cadillac F1, helping build a competitive team.”
Herta started his career on the European single-seater ladder in 2015, winning four races in British Formula 4 to finish third in that year’s championship behind winner Lando Norris.
The following season he competed in the Euroformula Open and Spanish Formula 3 series, picking up six victories across both and finishing third and second respectively on the title tables.
He returned to the United States to join IndyCar feeder series Indy Lights in 2017, and he was promoted to the senior series full-time in 2019.
Herta became the youngest winner in IndyCar history in just his third start. He won nine races in total and finished a career-best second in last year’s championship in a close battle with Álex Palou.
He also has two class victories at the prestigious 24 Hours of Daytona and another at the 12 Hours of Sebring in the IMSA SportsCar Championship.
“Colton is an exceptionally talented racer with proven speed, racecraft and maturity well beyond his years,” Cadillac principal Graeme Lowdon said.
“His experience in top-level American motorsport as part of the TWG Motorsports family makes him an ideal fit for this role, and he will bring valuable and fresh insight, perspective and energy to our team as we continue to build for the future.”
PIT TALK PODCAST: Oscar Piastri controlled the Dutch Grand Prix for a deserved victory but lucked into a massive points swing when Lando Norris retired from second place with engine trouble. Now 34 points up the road, is it Piastri’s championship to lose?
The press release notably refers to Herta “transitioning into a new role within TWG Motorsports” and that his “2026 racing program will be made in due course”, enlivening speculation that he’s set to leave IndyCar to join Formula 2.
Authoritative American publication Racer reported last week that Cadillac had sounded out several Formula 2 teams over a seat for Herta in 2026.
Herta has been on the F1 periphery for several years, with even the Red Bull program considering taking him in, but he has been stubbornly short of the required 40 super licence points to make him eligible for a direct Formula 1 switch.
Super licence points are accumulated over three seasons and based on championship position in various categories.
Formula 2 is the most lucrative category, with 40 points automatically awarded to the top three finishers in the championship.
While the IndyCar champion also earns 40 points, the points available to the following positions drop off more sharply.
By the end of next season Herta will have 34 points from his 2024 and 2025 IndyCar campaigns. He would have to finish eighth or higher in Formula 2 to qualify for a super licence.
He could also pick up single additional points for entering Formula 1 free practice sessions.
Each team is required to field a rookie in a practice session at least four times a season. Herta would presumably take all four opportunities.
“Having an American driver join an American Formula 1 team is a hugely significant moment not only for our team but for American motorsport as a whole,” Lowdon said.
“Colton represents the passion, ambition and competitive spirit that define the Cadillac Formula 1 team, and we are proud to have him carry the American flag with us on the world stage.”
Norris shattered after engine failure | 03:26
HOW MIGHT THIS PLAY OUT?
Promoting an American driver to Formula 1 was a key tenet of the original Andretti Formula 1 bid, the team having intended to field one experienced driver alongside a rookie from the United States.
At one stage Andretti suggested the team could run a Formula 2 program in tandem specifically to encourage Americans to complete the European single-seater ladder.
But with no qualified Americans on the horizon and with experience prioritised over youth to help establish the team, Bottas and Pérez became the pragmatic options for 2026.
Finding a Formula 2 seat for Herta therefore becomes a medium-term play.
Entering the second-tier series would do more than just help Herta accrue the necessary points.
Formula 2 competes at 14 of Formula 1’s 24 circuits, which would make the season a familiarisation exercise for the American.
The category also uses Pirelli as its tyre supplier, and managing Pirelli’s bespoke rubber is a key challenge in Formula 1.
His Formula 1 reserve commitments and Formula 2 entry would presumably be conducted alongside a private testing program, though it’s unclear how much access Cadillac will have to an eligible car.
The team is expected to rely on engine supplier Ferrari to provide it with an old car for preparatory testing this year.
Formula 1’s booming US popularity has increased hype over the potential for an IndyCar star to tackle F1, but the practicality of such a code swap has always made this unlikely.
IndyCar and Formula 1 may look superficially similar as open-wheel categories, but the two series are dramatically different.
Whereas IndyCar is a spec category in which all teams use fundamentally the same cars and are supplied by one of two engine manufacturers, Formula 1 is an open-development prototype series, with cars changing week to week.
The rate of development will be quickened considerably next year with the introduction of new regulations.
The scales of the teams are also vastly different, with drivers needing to deal with far bigger staffs in F1 than they do in IndyCar.
Performing at a high level in IndyCar and Formula 1 therefore require different approaches.
Herta, however, is clearly committed to the change. Embedding himself as a reserve driver while competing in Formula 2 would allow him to acclimatise to these differences, easing the transition.
It would also help that he’s getting in on the ground floor, becoming part of the team as it builds up for its first ever race, giving him the chance to become integral to its driver-side operations.
It would considerably boost his chances of succeeding in Formula 1 relative to a scenario in which he jumped straight from IndyCar onto the F1 grid.
‘I’m so sorry guys’ – Lewis crashes out | 00:51
WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR THE CURRENT DRIVERS?
This would seem to be a two-year program for Herta given both Bottas and Pérez have signed two-year deals.
If he were to make is Formula 1 debut in 2028, he would be 28 years old.
While that gives him a bigger window to find his feet, the pressure will ramp up if he underwhelms in his first campaign. It’s rare that a driver is taken seriously as an F1 candidate if they need more than two seasons to succeed in F2.
But if he were to do well in Formula 2, it would set up an interesting scenario in which both Bottas and Pérez could almost immediately be forced to compete against each other to be retained beyond their initial two-year deals, after which their work to establish the team might only be beginning to bear fruit.
It would also be a coup for Cadillac in its pitch to be regarded as Formula 1’s ‘true’ American team — despite Haas having been in the sport for a decade. Fielding not just any American driver but a high-profile star like Herta would represent a big win for the brand.
Beyond Herta, Cadillac could also consider linking with Texan Jak Crawford, who is currently second in the Formula 2 standings.
Crawford, 20 years old, is part of the Aston Martin driver academy and was previously in the Red Bull program.
He admitted before the mid-year break that he was in tentative talks with Cadillac.