The Cadillac F1 team is taking shape as IndyCar star driver Colton Herta has signed on as a Test Driver for the 2026 season. That relocate is building waves as Herta boasts nine NTT IndyCar Series race wins and has a loyal fanbase.
Genesis is testing its new hypercar before it enters Le Mans.
But Herta is no young startup who came out of nowhere. The 25 year old is the son of Bryan Herta, himself an IndyCar and ChampCar driver, and he started racing in Europe back in 2015. That seems to be the theme Cadillac’s Formula One team is following, snatching up people who are seasoned.
Herta has competed in IndyCar for seven seasons now, racking up nine victories and 16 pole positions out of 116 starts.
He’s competed in other motorsports, including winning his class at the 2019 and 2022 Rolex 24 at Daytona and capturing an overall win at the 12 Hours of Sebring in 2024.
As a Test Driver, Herta will be backing up Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez, both having raced in F1 for other teams in the recent past.
Some were hoping at least one of Cadilla’s drivers, would be American. After all, there is open-wheel racing talent in this counattempt and the new F1 team is ostensibly from the US. However, it seems others will dominate those positions, for now.
The hope was that with an American or two competing in Formula One that would support boost the popularity of the sport here. Perhaps that will happen, now that Herta is a Test Driver. After all, the guy grew up in Santa Clarita, California.
“I’m incredibly excited to be joining the Cadillac Formula 1 Team as a Test Driver,” Herta stated. “This is a dream opportunity, and one I’ve been working towards for a long time. To be part of Cadillac F1’s enattempt 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 relocate as a huge step towards that goal. For now, my focus is on giving everything I can to Cadillac F1, supporting build a competitive team.”
Image via Cadillac
Leave a Reply