Colton Herta’s F1 gamble: IndyCar winner to chase Super Licence in Formula 2 from 2026
Colton Herta has never been shy about what he wants. Fresh off being named Cadillac’s first F1 test driver, the nine-time IndyCar race winner is tearing up the script and heading to Formula 2 in 2026 — a rare, calculated detour designed to bank the final FIA Super Licence points he needs for a Formula 1 seat.
It’s bold, it’s unusual, and it might just be the only way.
Under the FIA’s system, drivers need 40 Super Licence points to race in F1. Herta’s IndyCar haul hasn’t got him there, but F2 offers a clearer runway: a strong championship finish in 2026 — top eight should do it when combined with his existing tally — would tip him over the line. Cadillac can also help grease the wheels: every 100km of FP1 running is worth a point (max 10), and you can bet they’ll plan those Fridays with purpose.
But let’s not pretend this is a gentle change of scenery. F2’s Dallara is a different beast to an IndyCar — lighter, less power, less downforce, more momentum, more knife-edge. Herta’s adaptability will be under the microscope from lap one. We’ve seen seasoned champions from other disciplines find that out the hard way, and plenty of fans have already pointed it out. On paper, his racecraft and maturity should play well; in practice, he’ll need to be sharp and patient.
The timing is what makes this fascinating. Cadillac’s F1 project has already gone heavy on experience, locking in Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez — a pairing with 16 grand prix wins between them — as the programme takes shape. That’s an ambitious, steady-hand line-up, and it raises the obvious question: even if Herta aces F2 and completes the FP1 homework, where does he slot in?
This is where the long game kicks in. Perez is understood to be tied down on a multi-year deal and Bottas remains a hard-nosed reference driver. So the realistic window for Herta looks like 2027, unless something unexpected opens elsewhere. And that “elsewhere” is complicated too: most F1 teams have stacked junior pipelines. You need to be exceptional to leapfrog a house prospect. Gabriel Bortoleto landing at Sauber without a direct affiliation showed it can happen, but it’s not the norm.
That, in turn, heaps pressure on the F2 campaign. Fair or not, the expectation from plenty of corners is that a nine-time IndyCar winner needs to win — or at least light up the series — to truly change minds on the F1 grid. Herta doesn’t have to crush the field to get the licence; he probably does have to turn enough heads to be unavoidable.
Where he lands in F2 will matter. It’s a spec series, sure, but the paddock pecking order is very real. Invicta have been title-winning operators, Prema remain a powerhouse, and Rodin have emerged as a sharp outfit. All three would be pragmatic landing spots if the aim is to fight for the championship out of the box. Paddock chatter has already linked Herta to big hitters. He’ll need the right car, the right engineer, and a smooth adaptation curve to get the most out of one crucial season.
None of this is coming out of nowhere. Herta’s been on F1’s radar before — he was close to a 2023 seat at Red Bull’s second team before the Super Licence math killed it, and his name surfaced during Michael Andretti’s past push to secure an F1 entry. This time, he’s taking control of the variables. Trade the comfort of top-tier IndyCar for a one-year, high-stakes European audition. Bet on yourself.
There’s also a bigger storyline here: creating a visible pathway for American talent. If Herta turns up in F2, wins races and punches his ticket, that’s a blueprint future U.S. prospects can follow. The audience bump for F2 in 2026 won’t be small either — an established American star racing wheel-to-wheel with Europe’s best prospects is a promoter’s dream.
Still, nobody’s sugar-coating it. The margin for error is thin, the timeline is tight, and the political traffic in F1 is heavy. But for a driver who’s flirted with F1 more than once, this is the first time Herta has the levers in his own hands. Go to Europe. Learn the tyre. Live on the data. Make the Super Licence math a formality. And then make the decision for Cadillac — or anyone else — extremely uncomfortable.
Herta’s always had the speed. In 2026, he’ll find out if that’s enough.
