Colton Herta has pressed pause on IndyCar and gone all‑in on a Formula 1 dream that’s shadowed him for years. The 25-year-old Californian has signed with the incoming Cadillac F1 squad as its test and reserve driver, calling it “my best shot” at finally breaking into the grid when the team debuts in 2026.
A seat in F1 has flirted with Herta before. He was linked to AlphaTauri for 2023, only to be shut out by the FIA’s super licence rules. No force majeure, no exemptions, and no shortcut for one of America’s brightest single-seater talents. This time, the route is more conventional—and more demanding.
Herta’s plan is clear enough: embed himself inside Cadillac’s build-up, rack up mileage in the simulator, and chase super licence points through FP1 outings and, if necessary, a stint in an FIA series. It’s the grind that comes before any glory. He admits the risk is obvious.
“The easy thing would be to stay in IndyCar,” he said on the Off Track with Hinch and Rossi podcast. “It’s a risk, and it’s a dream of mine… this is my last shot at it. I want to take that chance.”
Cadillac, the sport’s 11th entrant, has already gone heavy on experience with reported multi‑year deals for Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas. That means Herta isn’t walking into a vacancy; he’s betting on one appearing—either through performance, timing, or an expansion of opportunities as the team finds its feet. First, he needs to hit the FIA’s 40-point super licence threshold and keep it active into 2027. No sure thing, but Herta’s convinced there’s no better path.
“I believe in myself, and I believe I’m fast enough,” he added. “It’s going to be a lot of work to understand the differences from grand prix racing to IndyCar, but I’m 100 percent diving into it.”
From the outside, the move is both bold and logical. Herta’s style—late on the brakes, ruthless in racecraft, unafraid of a car on the edge—translates well to the demands of modern F1, provided he gets the reps. The catch is he’s leaving an IndyCar paddock where he could win on any given weekend for a program with more unknowns than guarantees. We don’t know how quick Cadillac will be in 2026. We don’t know how quickly it will develop. And we don’t know if an opening will actually materialize when Herta’s licence math finally adds up.
That uncertainty isn’t lost on him. He talked about the human side as much as the hardware—walking away from “a great group of guys” and a championship where the field is merciless but the playing field is level enough that underdogs get real days in the sun. In Formula 1, the ceiling is defined by the car as much as the driver. He knows it. He’s still going.
There are practical stepping stones. Expect push for FP1 outings as soon as he’s eligible, where he can bank points and build familiarity with F1’s tyres, procedures, and the kind of run-plan discipline that defines Friday work. There’s also the possibility of racing in a complementary series to pad his score—he’s open to that too. A one-off IndyCar cameo isn’t off the table, though he’s adamant it can’t distract from the main mission.
“This isn’t a forever goodbye to IndyCar,” he said. “I see myself coming back at some stage in my career, just because I love it.” For now, though, the passport gets more stamps, the calendar gets more European, and the cadence of life switches to grand prix weekends.
Cadillac’s arrival is already one of the sport’s biggest storylines for 2026. Big manufacturer, big brand, and a driver line-up built on race-winning experience. Herta’s role slots in where modern F1 teams are built strongest: behind the scenes. If he nails it—if the simulator feedback translates, if the FP1s are sharp, if the points get done—he becomes more than a reserve. He becomes an option.
And if not? He’s taken a swing worthy of the payoff. That’s the bet.
As he put it: “As a racing driver, you constantly are betting on yourself… If I didn’t think I can do it—like I said, it’s a super big risk—I would stay in IndyCar.”
