Colton Herta « tired » of speculation about a possible move to Cadillac in 2026
Colton Herta has admitted he's « had » enough of the speculation surrounding his possible switch from IndyCar to F1, with the Cadillac team in 2026.
The name Colton Herta has been coming up regularly in recent years as a potential candidate to join the F1 grid in 2026.
The American was close to achieving it in 2023 with AlphaTauri, but due to insufficient points for the super license, the team ultimately chose Nyck de Vries.
Favorite for a seat at Cadillac
Colton Herta is now strongly associated with Cadillac, which is expected to join the grid in 2026 as the 11th F1 team. However, at 24 years old, he is beginning to tire of the persistent rumors.
« I feel like I’ve been dragged into these discussions for, let’s say, half a decade now », he stated, as quoted by Motorsport Week.
« They dangled the carrot in front of me for a while. I’m a bit fed up with this situation, and I just want to drive at this stage, focus on IndyCar this year, and win the championship. If something comes out of it, I’ll consider it. »
« It is still not a certainty. All my friends and family are here in the United States, and I don’t know anyone where I could go. It would be an important decision to make if I had to make it. »
Currently, Colton Herta has 39 super license points, one less than the required 40. But he seems unconcerned about this situation: “It will be fine in either case,” he stated.
« I suppose the answer to that is I didn’t even know what the exact rules were to obtain a super license. »
« If it happens, so much the better, and I’ll have a decision to make if they still want me. If it doesn’t happen, too bad for me, I’ll continue driving in IndyCar. It will be fine either way », he added.
What options for Cadillac?
Cadillac will have several experienced drivers to consider for 2026. Valtteri Bottas, Zhou Guanyu, Kevin Magnussen, and Sergio Perez are all expected to be available that year.
Valtteri Bottas, who is a reserve driver at Mercedes, is said to have already begun discussions with Cadillac’s boss, Graeme Lowdon.
The financial support of Zhou Guanyu and Sergio Perez could also work in their favor, especially the latter due to his ties with Latin America. On his side, Daniel Ricciardo seems to have ruled out any return to F1.
