Imagine the latest winner of soccer’s Ballon d’Or, Harry Kane, announcing he would be giving up his role at Bayern Munich, one of Europe’s elite clubs, to spend a season with his old club Leicester City, who are not in the Premier League, but a division below in the Championship.
It simply is something beyond comprehension. Yet a young Californian-born racer by the name of Colton Herta did something similar as he forfeited his seat at one of IndyCar’s giant teams, Andretti, to go race with the aspiring kids in Europe in Formula Two.
Herta had completed seven seasons in the North American premier single-seater racing category, and across his 116 races,claimed 16 pole positions, 20 podiums and 9 victories. So to move to the chaos of what F2 can be was a remarkable decision, all in pursuit of his dream to drive in Formula One.
To put his achievement in some kind of perspective, his nine race wins put him in the same league as the likes of Charles Leclerc, Oscar Piastri, Mark Webber and currently Kimi Antonelli. And in days of yore, an American driver of Herta’s calibre would have been accepted with open arms by an F1 team.
The FIA Super Licence Disparity
Yet the rules which decide whether a driver is fit for F1 are set by the FIA, who through some historical enmity with the breakaway North American racing regulators, downgrade IndyCar to a level below that of F2.
Winning the F2 championship immediately awards a driver all the 40 points required for an F1 licence. This is also true of the IndyCar series, but after that, the recognition for IndyCar drivers is diminished. Second and third in F2 also attract 40 points, whilst fourth and fifth are awarded 30 and 20 respectively.
IndyCar by comparison is awarded just 30 points for second in the championship, 20 for third, 10 for fourth and just 8 points for fifth place. All this means it’s much harder for an IndyCar driver to gain an F1 super licence than a driver from an inferior racing series like F2.
A Master Plan Stalled in F2
Andretti, where Herta drove in IndyCar, are owned by TWG, which also owns Cadillac F1. From the very application from Cadillac (formerly Andretti) to join F1, non-executive director Mario Andretti, one of motorsport’s greatest legends,stated the goal of the team was to be truly American and recruit an American racing driver.
So the prospect of Herta leaving Cadillac for F2 was all part of a well-thought-out plan. Herta came second in the 2024 IndyCar championship and his other qualifying rolling three-year periods meant he started this year with 35 points towards his F1 super licence. The plan was for Colton to finish the season 8th or better in the F2 standings, which would give him the remainder of the points he required for F1.
Yet Herta’s team, Hitech, have had a nightmare year, epitomised by the fact that in his third year in the series, Ritomo Miyata currently sits in only twelfth place. Herta is languishing down in nineteenth place, and it has been hardly the season he nor Cadillac had hoped for.
FP1 Mileage Struggles and the Point Dispute
Four FP1 sessions for Colton have added four points to his tally of 35, although it is a matter of dispute whether he completed enough kilometres as specified by the FIA. Barcelona was his first outing, then next was at the twisty Hungaroring. Herta was in the car in Monza, but technical issues meant he completed just 25km.
Last weekend at his home race in Austin, he started the practice session trundling around with an aero rake attached.However, this only lasted for around a quarter of the session, and he completed the rest of the mileage across 21 laps.
Speaking about Cadillac being a true ‘all-American team’, their boss Marcin Budkowski chose to address the issue of their driver lineup and the progress of Colton Herta. Budkowski acknowledged that having an American driver in an American team is a “great story,” but emphasised that timing and fit are critical, noting, “It needs to be the right time and the right driver. But we’re working on that. We’re working on that with Colton [Herta].”
When asked what was required to get Colton into the team, Budkowski replied, “1 point.” As has already been suggested,the FIA needs to clarify how many points Herta requires, because by the strict letter of the law it appears the requirement is two more points.
Rumours Swirl Over a 2027 Seat
Regardless, Herta has announced he is not doing another season in F2, whilst praising his fellow drivers for their tenacity and racing skills. This leaves the only way of accumulating enough super licence points being more FP1s with Cadillac.The team have not confirmed any more sessions for Colton, however, with Budkowski refusing to name both Pérez and Bottas as his retained drivers for 2027, the rumour mill is rife.
In qualifying, Valtteri and Sergio are not so far apart, but in terms of race positions finished, Pérez has knocked it out of the park and is 13-4 up on his teammate. With the news that Esteban Ocon is leaving Alpine at the end of the year, there was some thought he might replace Bottas at Cadillac. Yet in Austin, the news filtered out that Ocon was not under consideration by Cadillac.
One problem for Herta is that the only unconfirmed seats in IndyCar next year are with the minnow teams, so a return to racing in North America is not realistic for a driver of his calibre. Further, to abandon the American driver project would make Cadillac F1 look silly, so there has to be a plan to get Herta his super licence.
The Race Against Time for 2028
With the threat of the last two race weekends in the Middle East being cancelled, time is short for Cadillac and Herta. Will Buxton now claims that Cadillac are seriously considering replacing Bottas with Herta for 2027. “I heard a rumour that they might be trying to slot him in for another FP1, in order to get him his final super licence point. That’s why [Marcin] Budkowski said the driver line-up isn’t settled for next year,” said Buxton to the Up to Speed podcast.
From his rolling three-year qualification period, Colton drops just one point for 2027, and so another couple of FP1s next year would suffice for him to go F1 racing in 2028. So an FP1 outing in either Mexico or Brazil is surely the indication that Herta will be racing for them in F1 next year.
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A.J. Hunt is Senior Editor at TJ13, where Andrew oversees editorial standards and contributes to the site’s Formula 1 coverage. A career journalist with experience in both print and digital sports media, Andrew trained in investigative journalism and has written for a range of European sports outlets.
At TJ13, Andrew plays a central role in shaping the site’s output, working across breaking news, analysis, and long-form features. Andrew’s responsibilities include fact-checking, refining editorial structure, and ensuring consistency in reporting across a fast-moving news cycle.
Andrew’s work focuses particularly on the intersection of Formula 1 politics, regulation, and team strategy. Andrew closely follows developments involving the FIA, team leadership, and driver market dynamics, helping to provide context behind the sport’s biggest stories.
With experience covering multiple seasons of Formula 1’s modern hybrid era, Andrew has developed a detailed understanding of how regulatory changes and competitive shifts influence the grid. Andrew’s editorial approach prioritises clarity and context, aiming to help readers navigate complex developments within the sport.
In addition to editorial duties, Andrew is particularly interested in how media narratives shape fan perception of Formula 1, and how reporting can balance speed with accuracy in an increasingly digital news environment.
