After hitting a bump in the road of his Formula 1 dream, Colton Herta is yet to confirm his next move looking ahead to 2027.
The good news for Cadillac F1 is that alongside Herta, several other opportunities have emerged to realise that goal of fielding an American driver in Formula 1.
Colton Herta can still realise F1 dream
By the California native’s own admission, his Formula 2 gamble has not gone to plan.
Joining forces with Hitech, this was supposed to be his springboard, alongside Cadillac FP1s, to that FIA Super Licence which has continued to elude him, and not so long ago cost him an opportunity with the Red Bull F1 junior team, then known as AlphaTauri.
Instead, an F2 2026 podium is yet to materialise, and Herta has expressed a lack of interest in returning to the series in 2027.
If his number of Cadillac FP1 outings remains at four in 2026, as planned, each one securing a point, he risks being short of his Super Licence.
Yet, it is not curtains for Herta’s F1 dream with Cadillac.
He could return to IndyCar. The series’ new Super Licence points table is more generous than during his first stint.
Realistically, he would need a top three finish in the championship, alongside further Cadillac FP1s, to be in the frame for F1 2028.
Super Formula has also proven a productive junior category over the years when it comes to preparing future F1 stars. Liam Lawson and Pierre Gasly can vouch for that.
A top-two finish in the championship, once again alongside further FP1s, and Herta could be in business.
It is not the end of the road for Cadillac and Herta as a pairing on the Formula 1 grid.
Ugo Ugochukwu Red Bull and Cadillac deal?
It is true though, that Herta is no longer the only viable American option for Cadillac.
Fresh off winning the Formula 3 title, Ugo Ugochukwu, the 19-year-old from New York City, is staking his claim for a future in F1.
In the weeks since sealing the F3 crown, rumblings have emerged that Ugochukwu is in contention for Cadillac FP1 outings in 2027, certainly not music to the ears of Herta.
The teenager received his first taste of Formula 1 machinery in an Alpine test at Monza earlier this year.
PlanetF1.com understands that Ugochukwu is poised to graduate to Formula 2, with Red Bull backing.
The Austrian-Thai squad already has one hot prospect creating a luxury problem, as Nikola Tsolov vies with Lawson and Arvid Lindblad over the Racing Bulls F1 2027 seats.
Add Ugochukwu to the mix down the line, and things are starting to get congested, especially when you factor in F3 drivers Ernesto Rivera and Mattia Colnaghi.
As such, getting him some FP1s with Cadillac, and perhaps placing him in the team’s line-up beyond that, could kill two birds with one stone.
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Sebastian Wheldon ticking all the boxes
There is an impressive talent developing nicely within the Andretti Global junior ranks, a youngster who has just landed a massive opportunity for 2027.
Sebastian Wheldon has signed with the prolific Trident F3 outfit. This is the team with which Audi’s Freddie Slater came oh so close to winning the crown, eventually bested by Ugochukwu in a thrilling title scrap.
Wheldon has a lot going for him as a future Cadillac F1 option. He has the speed. He has the links as an Andretti-developed talent, and he has the name.
The son of the late great IndyCar icon Dan Wheldon, it would be easy for Cadillac F1’s American fanbase to connect with the current 17-year-old.
Instantly competitive at Formula 4 and Formula Regional level, Wheldon is one to keep a very close eye on in F3 2027.
Suddenly, Cadillac has quite the embarrassment of riches to satisfy its American F1 driver ambition.
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