At the recent US Grand Prix, Cadillac F1 team boss Marcin Budkowski was waxing lyrical over how Cadillac will be a ‘proper’ American Formula One team, with the implicit inference that Haas F1 is not quite the same.
Perhaps the rejection of Haas as truly American stems from the start of the 2022 season, just prior to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, when the cars sported a livery resembling the Russian Federation flag. This was due to the sponsorship of a Russian oligarch and the team handing his son a seat.
Yet as war broke out, both Nikita Mazepin and his father were sent packing as EU sanctions bit hard against certain Russian nationals. Then again, it may simply be the fact that Gene Haas continues to run his F1 team on a shoestring—being the only outfit on the grid without the funds to scale up to the annual cost cap—that makes critics view them as less than fully invested.
In Austin, Texas, Budkowski compared the differences in approach to racing between Ferrari, Mercedes, and Red Bull,insisting that the culture at Cadillac is developing and the identity of the team is authentically American.
Part of that identity was spelled out even before Cadillac was approved to go racing, when non-executive director and motorsport legend Mario Andretti stated that the team wished to field an American driver as soon as possible.
Budkowski spoke at length about this plan at COTA, stating to Sky F1: “Obviously having an American driver in an American team is a great story. It needs to be the right time and the right driver. But we’re working on that. We’re working on that with Colton.”
When asked what Herta had left to do to qualify for his F1 superlicence, the Cadillac boss replied succinctly, “1 point.” As if to throw some chaff into the air, Marcin continued to list other young American talented racers coming through the ranks: “There are some really exciting American talents coming up through the ranks as well. We’ve seen Ugo Ugochukwu winning F3. We’ve got [Sebastian] Wheldon coming through to F3 next year. So there’s a lot of potential here and we’ll look into that obviously.”
Herta’s Tough Transition to Formula 2
Cadillac—whose parent company also owns Andretti Racing, competing in IndyCar—decided to take matters into their own hands to help forge the American talent they crave. Colton Herta, a Californian-born, surf-style character who had starred in IndyCar for Andretti, decided he would compete this season in the Formula 2 feeder series. Herta is considered one of the best of his generation in IndyCar, boasting 116 starts, 16 poles, 20 podiums, and 9 victories.
The plan was for Herta to secure the 40 points required for his F1 superlicence by finishing no lower than eighth in the F2 championship. Yet his team, Hitech, has had a nightmare season, seeing their other driver, Ritomo Miyata—now in his third season in the series—languishing down in P12. Herta sits in P19 and has stated he will not race in F2 in 2027.
Herta’s second-place finish in IndyCar during 2024 gave him a whopping 30 of the points required for his superlicence. Having picked up a few more points in subsequent seasons, he came into this year believing he required just four more points to reach the 40-point threshold, which are counted on a rolling three-year basis.
Realizing Herta would score little to nothing from his F2 campaign, Cadillac arranged four FP1 sessions for Herta, which contribute one point each provided the driver completes 100km. A maximum of 10 FP1 sessions are allowable toward a driver’s total points. However, car troubles in Monza meant Herta completed just 25km during the Italian Grand Prix first practice.
Bottas, Mexico, and a Costly Calculation Error
As reported earlier in the week, following Perez’s contract extension, Valtteri Bottas’s future appeared to rest on whether Herta qualified to drive in F1 next season. The hastily arranged, last-minute FP1 outing in Mexico City appeared to suggest Cadillac had decided on pairing Herta alongside Perez for next year.
The Californian dutifully completed his 100km at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, with TV commentators comically counting down the laps required for his superlicence. Yet it transpires that an administrative mix-up means Herta remains one point short of the 40-point tally due to an incorrect classification made by IndyCar.
The IndyCar Standings Anomaly Explained
The confusion surrounds Colton Herta’s final 2025 IndyCar standings, where he was listed online as finishing the season in sixth place. He finished the year tied on points with Felix Rosenqvist, who was classified in P7. However, on countback for the drivers with the most second-place finishes, it was actually Rosenqvist who should have been listed above Herta.
The result is that Herta remains one point short of the number required for his superlicence. Cadillac have yet to formally comment on the mistake and the impact it will have on their plans for the remainder of this season.
Next Steps and the Race Against Time
Presumably, another hastily arranged FP1 outing will be scheduled for Brazil, given that the race weekends are rapidly running out. With the final two rounds in the Middle East in question due to regional conflicts, Cadillac will not want to mess around and will look to get their American driver in the car next week at Interlagos.
This means that even if there are technical gremlins with the Cadillac again—which have been frequent this season—they can offer Herta another FP1 run come the race weekend in Las Vegas.
Herta himself believes that he has been promised a seat for 2027, given his comments yesterday in Mexico. When asked if he was a realistic contender for the Cadillac 2027 driver, theCalifornian replied: “I hope so. I don’t know why I’d be doing this [otherwise]. I think Cadillac has shown a lot of faith in me in doing all these FP1s. They put a lot of resources behind me to get me ready to be in the F1 seat.”
Its not what Valtteri Bottas wants to hear, but for the second time it appears his F1 career is over once more.
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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.
