Cadillac F1 team names IndyCar star Colton Herta as test driver

F1

Herta has been named Cadillac's first American driver, joining the outfit ahead of its 2026 debut alongside race drivers Bottas and Perez

Colton Herta

IndyCar

Cadillac has announced that Colton Herta will join its Formula 1 programme as a test driver, becoming the first American racer to be officially signed to the new team as it prepares for its 2026 debut.

Herta, 25, will support the squad as it builds towards its maiden campaign in Formula 1, when he it will have Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez as its race drivers.

The American arrives with significant single-seater pedigree, having won nine races in the IndyCar series for the Andretti team and established himself as one of the United States’ leading young drivers.

However, Herta is lacking the Super Licence points required to currently race in F1, at this point having 35 of the 40 needed. The American has been linked to F2 next season. If he were to finish ninth or better there, then the Californian would then qualify for F1.

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IndyCar

The son of former IndyCar and ChampCar racer Bryan Herta, Colton previously raced in Europe during 2015 and 2016, taking four wins in Euroformula Open and a victory in British Formula 3 at Brands Hatch before returning home to pursue his IndyCar career.

Since making his series debut in 2018, Herta has scored 15 poles, led more than 1000 laps, and in 2019 became the youngest race winner and pole-sitter in IndyCar history with victory at the Circuit of the Americas.

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Alongside his open-wheel success, Herta has also competed in sports cars, winning IMSA’s 24 Hours of Daytona twice and adding outright victory at the 12 Hours of Sebring in 2024.

Herta joins Cadillac F1 under the wider TWG Motorsports umbrella (which includes Andretti), and his appointment follows last month’s announcement that Bottas and Perez will form the team’s inaugural race driver line-up.

“I’m incredibly excited to be joining Cadillac as a test driver,” Herta said. “This is a dream opportunity, and one I’ve been working towards for a long time.

“To be part of Cadillac F1’s entry at such a pivotal time is something I couldn’t pass up.

“My dream has always been to race in Formula 1, and I see this move as a huge step towards that goal. For now, my focus is on giving everything I can to Cadillac F1, helping build a competitive team.”

Team principal Graeme Lowdon described the move as a milestone moment for the American project.

“Colton is an exceptionally talented racer with proven speed, racecraft, and maturity well beyond his years. Having an American driver join an American Formula 1 team is a hugely significant moment, not only for our team, but for American motor sport as a whole.”

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