Cadillac F1 has officially named Colton Herta as their F1 test driver for the 2026 season, and team CEO Dan Towriss also let slip that the 25-year-old will make the jump to Formula 2. As a nine-time IndyCar winner, Herta will now look to take on new challenges in the hopes of gaining the Super Licence points required for an F1 seat – but does the move make a mockery of the current points system?
This isn’t the first time Herta has tried to reach what’s thought of as the ‘pinnacle of motorsport’; in 2023, AlphaTauri – now known as the Racing Bulls – wanted to run the Californian. What stopped him, once again, was the lack of Super Licence points. The FIA was unwavering in its rules, even in the face of perceived ability or past success. In 2025, he sits five points under the threshold, with one about to expire. The most practical routes to close the gap? Accumulate points via Friday F1 Practice (FP1) sessions, or take on the Formula 2 feeder series – or in his case, both.
Herta, who hasn’t won an IndyCar race since the 2024 finale in Nashville, continued to race in IndyCar until the end of the 2025 season. Herta finished in seventh overall, competing in a single-seater category widely considered similar to F1 in terms of car performance. Unfortunately for those across the pond, IndyCar does not garner as many points as F2 – or even F3. A seventh-place finish in F2 this year would still net more super licence points than Herta managed in IndyCar in the same position – and here lies the imbalance. A fifth-place finish in F2 brings 20 points, but fifth in IndyCar, a result Herta hasn’t recorded since 2021, earns just eight. IndyCar, despite being a comparable discipline, is undermined under the current system.
The F2 Option: Bold Move or Regressive Step?
For a driver of Herta’s calibre, switching to Formula 2 would feel counterintuitive. After all, it’s typically a junior series designed as a launchpad – not a fallback option. Yet there’s serious logic: Super Licence points in F2 are far more generous than in IndyCar – enough that a top-eight finish would punch his ticket to eligibility (compared to top-six in IndyCar). Alternatively, six clean FP1 sessions (each >100 km with no penalties) could also get him over the line.
Still, for a proven pro at 25, with nine wins, sixteen poles, and IndyCar’s youngest-winner record, heading to F2 may feel like a step backward. Indeed, such a move risks a shift in public perception: is he playing the system? Or, rather than deliberately regressing, can we argue Herta is being forced into it? Ensuring his best shot at F1 eligibility while also playing the system. There’s a clear secondary benefit too; learning the tracks and acclimatising with the new layout before a full F1 seat becomes available. Yet if Cadillac is serious about integrating Herta into a long-term plan, and positioning him as a 2027 race driver, this strategy could be the most pragmatic path forward.
A Calculated Transition?
There’s something almost poetic in pairing Herta’s switch with Cadillac F1’s American identity – but also inherently clever. It’s not just a sporting move; it’s a narrative. The American born in Santa Clarita, steeped in European junior formulas in his youth, now fighting his way into F1 via an American programme with GM backing. Still, unease lingers: IndyCar fans may feel abandoned, while F1 purists could see his F2 stint as a last-ditch effort. If it culminates in a Cadillac F1 race seat in 2027, the arc will be sensational – provided he can then deliver results at the top level. If he fails, the gamble could be career-ending. In the short term, though, the optics are tricky – especially with the inadequacies of the points system.
The Curious Case of the Problematic FIA System
Herta’s teammate in frustration is Pato O’Ward. Despite winning in IndyCar and joining McLaren’s testing programme, his results didn’t translate into enough Super Licence points to qualify for a race seat either. McLaren gave him FP1 outings, but without the FIA’s weighting on his side, his path stalled before it could take off. Still, O’Ward remains a popular character on the other side of the pond both on and off-track.
Nyck de Vries shows another weakness in the system; after winning the 2019 F2 title, he shifted to Formula E, where he became World Champion. Yet, Formula E offers fewer points than the FIA’s preferred ladder – leaving his licence status stagnant. Only his one-off Williams debut at Monza in 2022 – where he scored points – finally convinced teams to give him a shot. The Dutchman lasted less than a full season in F1, before being dropped.
Felipe Drugovich’s case proves the opposite problem. By winning the 2022 F2 championship, he collected the maximum 40 points. Yet, no race seat materialised. Instead, he sat on the side-lines as Aston Martin’s reserve for two seasons, where he still remains today – underlining how the system can completely stall careers, even when drivers jump through hoops and tick every box. The conundrum then is – with such a congested market at the top, is there a fair way to source the top talent, while whittling down the number of those less likely to proceed? Could evening out the points distribution even the playing field, or in doing so, congest the market beyond repair?
The Only Sensible Gamble
In my view, Herta’s decision is strategic – not reckless, not sentimental. He’s choosing the most direct route to F1 eligibility, even if it means stepping down from IndyCar and into F2 territory. It’s a calculated gamble – the kind you take when alternative paths are almost nonexistent. Waiting around in IndyCar would keep his points chase slow, and relying solely on FP1 sessions is risky. With the likes of Rafael Câmara and Leonardo Fornaroli already turning heads in the feeder ranks, F2 offers structured, competitive exposure – and potentially accelerates his Super Licence quest.
It’s worth comparing Herta’s case to Dennis Hauger, too – the Norwegian who stalled in F2 after dominating F3. Hauger’s saving grace was Indycar’s feeder series, Indy NXT, where he re-established himself as a world-class driver in the 2025 season and secured an IndyCar seat. Herta is essentially attempting the reverse: trading established IndyCar status for a shot at proving himself in Europe’s ladder system.
Don’t forget – joining Cadillac F1 now places him inside the machine from day one. Learning behind the scenes, building relationships, mastering data – he’s positioning himself as the natural successor when the team looks to evolve beyond Bottas and Pérez. Old veterans like the 2026 duo have a wealth of wisdom to pass down – albeit, Herta may want to avoid Bottas’ hairstyle.
Final Thoughts
Colton Herta’s move is more than a demotion or promotion depending on how you see it; it’s a chess game. He’s leveraging every opportunity – race seats, feeder series, practice sessions – to clamber into F1. It’s an unorthodox trajectory, but anchored in logic. Committing to F2 for 2026 may feel like retracing steps, but in motorsport, sometimes a sideways leap is the only path upward. If all goes well, this could be the American success story F1 needs – and one Herta has inherently earned.
Featured image: Penske Entertainment – Joe Skibinski