It’s no secret that Cadillac has long sought to enter Formula 1 with an American driver in tow, and it’s equally well known that the chosen one would be Colton Herta. The Californian driver has been with Andretti Racing for years, but he faced one obstacle: he hadn’t accumulated enough points for the super license.
Now Cadillac has announced that Herta will be the one to undertake the four FP1 sessions for rookies mandated by Formula 1 regulations. The first of these will be in Barcelona. It is bad news for Sergio Pérez, because if everything goes as planned Herta will accumulate the remaining super license points and could debut in 2027.
Colton Herta to take Cadillac’s four FP1 sessions in 2026
It’s an open secret that Cadillac wants to have Colton Herta as a Formula 1 driver next season. The only explanation is that the 26-year-old Californian, who had a settled career in IndyCar, has crossed the Atlantic to race in Formula 2. The only problem is that he needs a few super license points.
To compete in Formula 1 you need 40 super license points, a figure Herta falls short of. The American had been IndyCar runner-up, which would give you 30 points, though when he achieved that the prize was lower. Last year he finished seventh in the championship, and that’s why he has had to go through Formula 2: to chase the missing points.
His debut in Australia wasn’t particularly smooth, but Cadillac nonetheless have a plan to help Herta secure the few points he still needs: to grant him the rookie FP1 sessions. On those Fridays you can participate without a super license, and the best part is that they also award points toward obtaining it. Cadillac wants Herta to run four Fridays.
In fact, Cadillac has already announced that Herta will debut in Barcelona on June 12. And it’s also official that he will race the other three rookie Fridays that the regulation requires each team to run. So committed is Herta to Formula 1 that he will even forfeit the Indy 500 because a calendar change would cause it to coincide with the Canadian Grand Prix.
The downside is that if Herta is with Cadillac next season, someone has to leave. Right now Cadillac has two drivers: Sergio Pérez and Valtteri Bottas. So the American team will need to assess throughout the year which of the two will relinquish his seat to Herta if the Californian secures his super license.
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Nolan Kessler
I focus on performance-driven cars, emerging technologies, and the business forces shaping the automotive industry. My work aims to deliver clear, relevant insights without unnecessary noise, with a strong attention to detail and accuracy. I follow the evolution of mobility daily, with a particular interest in what defines the next generation of driving.
