Cadillac principal Graeme Lowdon tells Fox Sports<\/a>. \u201cMaybe it\u2019s because I\u2019m so old that I kind of hark back to the good old days, whether they existed or not, but I just love the fact that he\u2019s taken a decision that a proper racing driver would take.<\/p>\n\u201cWhen he announced the decision there were a few commentators who said it might risk his image or this, that and the other.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you\u2019re bothered about just the image, just spend your whole time on social media and pictures of the gym or something like that and memes or whatever they are. But if you\u2019re a proper racing driver \u2014 and I mean a proper racing driver \u2014 then this is the move that you would take.\u201d<\/p>\n
There are regulatory and practical reasons Herta hasn\u2019t just turned up in Formula 1.<\/p>\n
The first is that IndyCar isn\u2019t sufficiently recognised by the FIA for him to have the requisite number of superlicence points to race in Formula 1, having not won the series championship. Formula 2 is rewarded far more generously as F1\u2019s designated feeder category.<\/p>\n
But it\u2019s also recognition of how far apart the worlds of Formula 1 and IndyCar are that Herta sees F2 as a better apprenticeship than his successful domestic US racing career.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe wants he wants to go into Formula 1, and if you want to be in Formula 1 it makes sense to look at that well-trodden path, and it\u2019s well-trodden for a reason,\u201d Lowdon continues. \u201cThe tyres are quite unique. The circuits are not ones that you get a chance to drive on \u2014 like Miami, Monaco, Melbourne. Also just getting used to the environment and the way things work \u2014 it is very, very different from IndyCar and everything around it as well.<\/p>\n
\u201cI take my hat off to him. If you want to do F1, I think he\u2019s doing exactly what a proper racing driver would do, and I class him as a proper racing driver.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s quick, and again, his attitude \u2014 the first thing he said to me when we discussed the F2 thing is it was very clear that he knew that that championship attracts very, very fast drivers. You don\u2019t just go in and blow everyone away. That\u2019s not the objective.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe objective is understand the circuits, learn the tyres, understand the environment \u2014 how does the media work? \u2014 all that kind of stuff.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd he\u2019s a great guy as well. It\u2019s really good to have him on the team.\u201d<\/p>\n
Marc Marquez goes off in a HUGE crash | 00:39<\/p>\n
IS THIS AMERICA\u2019S NEXT F1 DRIVER?<\/p>\n
Herta was part of the Cadillac F1 team before it existed.<\/p>\n
A prot\u00e9g\u00e9 of Michael Andretti, he was the designated driver of the American motorsport mogul\u2019s F1 ambitions, at the centre of which was a desire to promote young US talent onto the grand prix grid.<\/p>\n
Andretti came close to buying the Sauber team ahead of the 2022 before the deal collapsed at the final moment, but the name recognition proved useful for Herta. He got a spin in F1 machinery after becoming a McLaren development driver \u2014 McLaren CEO Zak Brown and Andretti are business partners, including formerly in Supercars \u2014 and he was for a time on Red Bull\u2019s radar until the FIA refused Herta a superlicence exemption.<\/p>\n
But the Andretti connection did eventually bear fruit. When long-time Andretti sponsor TWG Global bought both Andretti\u2019s IndyCar team and its F1 bid, which it owns jointly with General Motors, Herta had his in, and he was announced as Cadillac\u2019s development driver late last year.<\/p>\n
\u201cHaving the opportunity to try and get there and try to achieve that dream, that goal, of being a Formula 1 driver \u2014 I saw it as a great opportunity,\u201d Herta told the Beyond the Grid podcast. \u201cIt was very easy for me to say yes to.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was disappointing to have those two instances where I thought maybe [I could make it]. Not so much on the Sauber one \u2014 I thought there was a chance with that one \u2014 but the AlphaTauri deal seemed very real to me, and then when that didn\u2019t happen, I was like, \u2018Look, okay, I\u2019m kind of getting up there in age, probably won\u2019t have another opportunity\u2019.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen this came around and I was like, \u2018Jeez, count my lucky stars\u2019. This is an amazing opportunity.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m fully focused on making this one the one that counts and works. I\u2019m fully focused on trying to get here and dealing with my F2 career at the moment, trying to go through that side of things and learning as much as I can.\u201d<\/p>\n
As part of his development driver duties, Herta will get all four of Cadillac\u2019s mandatory FP1 rookie slots, with his first scheduled for June\u2019s Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix.<\/p>\n
It\u2019ll be a busy weekend for the Californian, who\u2019ll also be in the thick of his fifth Formula 2 weekend this season, having opened his account in Melbourne with a seventh-place finish in the Sunday feature race after having started 14th on the grid.<\/p>\n
It was a decent first weekend, but given the enormity of Herta\u2019s objective, he\u2019s keeping his feet on the ground and setting himself no concrete targets so early in his first campaign.<\/p>\n
\u201cProgression \u2014 that\u2019s the biggest thing,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s great to finish seventh on Sunday, but progression and finishing inside the points as much as possible [is the aim].<\/p>\n
\u201cEventually you want to get to the point where you win and you\u2019re qualifying on pole. That\u2019s every driver\u2019s goal. What are you doing this for if it\u2019s not to win. That\u2019s obviously the main goal, but progression and learning would be a simpler goal.\u201d<\/p>\n
Though don\u2019t take that for a lack of self-belief.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t think I\u2019d be here if I didn\u2019t think I could win or compete. That\u2019s a huge part of any driver\u2019s DNA. They are an arrogant breed, I would say. We also think we\u2019re the best.\u201d<\/p>\n
Agius sets sights on MotoGP debut | 04:19<\/p>\n
WHAT ARE THE ODDS?<\/p>\n
There are only 22 people on the planet at any one time who can call themselves a Formula 1 driver. Herta might be talented \u2014 he might be more than talented enough to qualify for a chance \u2014 but breaking into that elite 22 requires as much circumstance as it does ability.<\/p>\n
His arrival in F1\u2019s orbit is at a potentially awkward time.<\/p>\n
This year as many as 17 drivers could be out of contract or have access to favourable exit clauses.<\/p>\n
But that means almost all the grid is almost certain to be locked in over the 2027\u201328 driver market period, when Herta is most likely to be looking for a way in.<\/p>\n
Drivers out of contract in 2026<\/p>\n
Mercedes: George Russell, Andrea Kimi Antonelli<\/p>\n
Ferrari: Lewis Hamilton<\/p>\n
McLaren: none<\/p>\n
Haas: Esteban Ocon, Oliver Bearman<\/p>\n
Alpine: Franco Colapinto<\/p>\n
Red Bull Racing: Isack Hadjar<\/p>\n
Racing Bulls: Liam Lawson, Arvid Lindblad<\/p>\n
Audi: Nico H\u00fclkenberg, Gabriel Bortoleto<\/p>\n
Williams: Alex Albon, Carlos Sainz<\/p>\n
Cadillac: none<\/p>\n
Aston Martin: Fernando Alonso, Lance Stroll<\/p>\n
The above list assumes the increasingly favoured \u2018multi-year\u2019 contract lasts two seasons unless the length of the deal has been subsequently confirmed.<\/p>\n
Drivers with reported exit clauses<\/p>\n
Ferrari: Charles Leclerc (contracted until 2029)<\/p>\n
Red Bull Racing: Max Verstappen (contracted until 2028)<\/p>\n
The general rule of Formula 2 is a driver is allowed only two seasons to stake a claim for F1 promotion. Without extenuating circumstances, a driver who needs three seasons to win the championship is considered not good enough for a shot at the elite level.<\/p>\n
Unpacking new F1 rule changes | 04:46<\/p>\n
Of course Herta\u2019s situation is unique both as a driver with a very different background to his F2 rivals but also with years-long backing from the company that owns and operates the Cadillac team \u2014 though that could either reframe his results more favourably or leave him with even less slack than expected given his IndyCar pedigree.<\/p>\n
But that two-year window would appear to put him into the market when there are unlikely to be many seats available.<\/p>\n
Cadillac, though, is one clear exception to that rule.<\/p>\n
Both Valtteri Bottas and Sergio P\u00e9rez have been hired specifically because their combined 26 seasons of experience are seen as critical to accelerating the team\u2019s development.<\/p>\n
\u201cRight from shakedown onwards we had super accurate feedback, focus on all of the right things,\u201d Lowdon says. \u201cThey\u2019re saying all the right things to the engineers.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn certain areas of our engineering team we\u2019ve got a mix of experience but we\u2019ve also got a lot of quite young people as well, and the drivers have really played their part in gelling that engineering team together. I couldn\u2019t ask for anymore from both of them.\u201d<\/p>\n
It\u2019s also clear that both drivers are committed to their comebacks after a season on the sidelines; this isn\u2019t just one last pay slip for either.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey had the two attributes that are needed: one is experience, but secondly, both demonstrated desire,\u201d Lowdon continues.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe reaction of both drivers when we told them that we wanted to sign them for me was really quite important, and in both cases the reaction was kind of the same reaction \u2014 as if when you tell a guy in F2 that they\u2019re going to get a drive: it was excitement, enthusiasm, commitment.<\/p>\n
\u201cOnce I saw that, I knew we were going to be in a good place with both drivers.\u201d<\/p>\n
Both drivers will be difficult to unseat, particularly if their labour begins paying dividends in the form of improved results next season.<\/p>\n
But Cadillac wants to complete its project with an American driver, and if Herta does the business in Formula 2, it will be difficult to argue against giving him a crack given his career standing, given his sacrifice in returning to Europe and given his own commitment to the project.<\/p>\n
Both Bottas and P\u00e9rez will know that uncomfortable truth in the back of their heads as 2026 turns to 2027.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s too early to say whether Herta will put the team in that position, but more than 15 years after Formula 1 looked all but dead in the United States, he could be the final piece in its resuscitation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Formula 1\u2019s relationship with the United States has changed almost indescribably in the last 15 years. It was…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":639440,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[573],"tags":[8454,2095,82957,309609,309617,309616,225617,12295,14212,64,63,689,131169,309622,273440,309612,4971,13275,309621,309626,106228,306817,84681,309627,309615,309610,98784,22304,2057,309611,258364,817,147265,59959,309618,845,225957,2755,813,309619,816,59975,3875,2105,17670,841,309614,14211,177555,45900,12268,934,34866,2623,41544,309625,4280,134807,825,111757,647,5140,927,86316,309623,173134,309624,2627,2041,2067,677,5242,2119,43359,86317,128125,946,309613,309607,304175,309629,21788,309630,309620,304024,85,309628,100033,309608,309631,2614,660,29467,2062,28539,9657],"class_list":["post-639439","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-formula-1","tag-alex-marquez","tag-america","tag-american-driver","tag-american-motorsport-mogul","tag-american-nadir","tag-american-sponsors","tag-american-star","tag-andrea-kimi-antonelli","tag-arvid-lindblad","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-australia-and-new-zealand","tag-australian-grand","tag-blockbuster-races","tag-business-partners","tag-career-standing","tag-carlos-sainz","tag-charles-leclerc","tag-comfortable-domestic-opportunities","tag-competitive-american-driver","tag-consumer-market","tag-crashes-outmotorsport","tag-development-driver","tag-development-driver-duties","tag-driver-market-period","tag-eddie-cheever","tag-engineering-team","tag-esteban-ocon","tag-europe","tag-european-motorsport","tag-exit-clauses","tag-f1","tag-favourable-exit-clauses","tag-feature-race","tag-feeder-category","tag-fernando-alonso","tag-fledged-works-team","tag-florida","tag-formula-1","tag-formula-2-championship","tag-formula1","tag-general-motors-company","tag-george-russell","tag-getty-images-inc","tag-graeme-lowdon","tag-grand-prix","tag-grand-prix-grid","tag-grands-prix","tag-home-grand-prix","tag-home-team","tag-indiana","tag-indianapolis","tag-joe-portlock","tag-las-vegas","tag-liberty-media-corporation","tag-longshot-gamble","tag-marc-marquez","tag-mario-andretti","tag-max-verstappen","tag-media-work","tag-melbourne","tag-miami","tag-monaco","tag-motorsport-career","tag-motorsport-tradition","tag-multiple-winner","tag-name-recognition","tag-nevada","tag-north-america","tag-northern-america","tag-oceania","tag-oliver-bearman","tag-pit-talk","tag-race-winner","tag-racing-career","tag-racing-driver","tag-red-bull-racing","tag-right-things","tag-rookie-slots","tag-rule-changesmotorsport","tag-series-championship","tag-sets-sights","tag-six-car-grand-prix","tag-spectator-numbers","tag-sporting-landscape","tag-sports","tag-talented-drivers","tag-television-viewership","tag-third-place-championship-finish","tag-two-time-class-winner","tag-united-states-of-america","tag-victoria","tag-way-things","tag-western-europe","tag-young-people","tag-zak-brown"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/639439","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=639439"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/639439\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/639440"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=639439"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=639439"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=639439"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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