Cadillac’s F1 project is leaning toward experience over experiment — and that leaves Colton Herta looking for a different door if he still wants a shot at the big show.
The American’s name has been tethered to the project since its Andretti Global days, when the idea of an all‑American ticket to F1 felt tantalizingly neat. But the entry has since been reshaped: Michael Andretti stepped back after FOM’s initial rejection, Dan Towriss took the helm, and the team — now Cadillac F1 — appears set to debut with a veteran-heavy lineup to steady the ship from day one.
That’s not great news for Herta’s short-term F1 prospects. He sits on 31 FIA super licence points, with the magic number at 40. The simplest route this year was a top-four finish in IndyCar, or an aggressive slate of F1 FP1 outings to mop up the remainder. With two rounds to go and Herta eighth in the standings, that window has all but closed.
Cue the rumor mill: a plunge into Formula 2 for 2026 to bank the points the old-fashioned way. When IndyStar put it to him at Milwaukee, Herta played it cool. “I’ve heard those rumors, too,” he said. “That’s all it is right now, is rumors.” Notably, he didn’t shut the door. And with Towriss’ long-time backing and the Andretti/Cadillac connective tissue, Herta likely has more freedom to explore Europe than most drivers locked into big IndyCar deals.
Still, F2 isn’t a magic chute. It’s brutal, political, and offers no guarantees — especially if you arrive carrying the weight of “F1-or-bust.” Herta himself sounded weary of the saga earlier this year: “I’ve been dragged around in these talks for, like, half a decade now… I just want to drive and focus on IndyCar this year… and if something arises out of that, I’d still have to think about it.”
Meanwhile, Cadillac’s first F1 roster is expected imminently, and the paddock drumbeat points to a pragmatic pairing: Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Pérez. Team boss Graeme Lowdon has been clear enough about the philosophy — lean on race-hardened experience to get the program off the ground, then think about American talent once the car and factory cadence are up to speed.
That leaves Herta with a choice that’s both simple and massive. Stay put, contend for an IndyCar title, and wait for Cadillac’s second wave — or roll the dice on F2 and chase those last nine points the long way round. Either path could lead back to F1. Neither is easy. The only certainty is this: Cadillac wants results first, symbolism later. And for Herta, the clock hasn’t stopped — it’s just ticking in a different direction.
