Colton Herta “not sure” about giving up IndyCar ambitions for Cadillac F1 drive
The 24-year-old has reservations about leaving IndyCar despite F1 offering a bigger stage
IndyCar star Colton Herta says he is “not sure” that he wants to join Cadillac’s Formula 1 programme in 2026 despite being seriously considered for a grand prix seat.
Cadillac has made no secret of its desire to have an American driver on the grid when it joins F1 next year, with Andretti IndyCar driver Herta believed to be its favourite contender.
Mario Andretti, who recently joined General Motors’ board as a director for its F1 project, has stated that the team that was originally supposed to be fronted by his son Michael has always had an eye on signing Herta for the role.
The 24-year-old tested a McLaren F1 car at Portimao in 2022 and was briefly a part of the junior racing scene in Europe in 2015-16, making him a suitable candidate for the seat.
However, Herta himself gave a timid response when asked about the prospects of moving to F1 last year, stating that it would be difficult for him to leave an environment in which he is comfortable in.
"I'd be leaving a great group of people I really like working with, so it's not a sure thing for me," Herta said. "It's not an easy decision, just to be like, 'all right, see you guys later.' I'd be giving up an opportunity of maybe never working with these people again."
Herta’s stance is supported by Dan Towriss, whose company TWG Motorsports took over a majority stake in Andretti Global last year and has also partnered with Cadillac on its F1 entry.
Towriss stated that Herta’s main target at the moment is to win the IndyCar title after he finished second to Chip Ganassi’s Alex Palou in his best season so far in 2024.
"I think what that really shows you is how focused he is and how present he is in IndyCar, and so I love that," he said. "That's exactly the answer that I would want Colton to give me.
“We are locked in on the goals for this year. He finished second last year, and he knows exactly what he could have changed last year, which races he would have changed. So a few moves away from that top spot.
"He's worked hard in the offseason, the team has had a great offseason, and you know, he wants it bad.
“It makes no sense for him to be thinking about Formula 1 both in terms of the series but also what he needs to do [to get a super license]. So I love that answer."
Herta currently has 32 points out of the 40 needed to earn a superlicense, but a top-five finish in this year’s IndyCar season will make him eligible for a seat in F1 in 2026.
